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“SOFIA: Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy” Dr. Eric Becklin UCLA |
| The SOFIA project to develop and operate a 2.5-meter infrared telescope in a Boeing 747-SP is in the final stages of development. First science flights will begin in 2009, with the observatory designed to operate for over 20 years. Status of the development and technical issues will be discussed along with the expected sensitivity, and first light science instruments. Also discussed will be examples of the science to be carried out and opportunities for the science community to use SOFIA. On the science side, I will also discuss our recent high angular resolution results on the Galactic Center with Keck laser adaptive optics. |