NASA's Airborne Astronomy Program - Lessons For SOFIA

Details NASA's Airborne Astronomy Program - Lessons For SOFIA NASA's Airborne Astronomy Program - Lessons For SOFIA

Jul 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007aas...21012201e&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society Meeting 210, #122.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.331

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Airborne astronomy was pioneered and has evolved at NASA Ames Research Center near San Francisco, California, since 1965. Nowhere else in the world has a similar program been implemented. Its many unique features deserve description, especially for the benefit of planning the operation of SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, and in particular since NASA Headquarters’ recent decision to base SOFIA operations at Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California instead of at Ames. The history of Ames’ airborne astronomy program is briefly summarized. Discussed in more detail are the operations and organization of the 21-year Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) program, which provide important lessons for SOFIA. The KAO program is our best prototype for planning effective SOFIA operations.
Principal features of the KAO program which should be retained on SOFIA are: unique science, innovative new science instruments and technologies, training of young scientists, an effective education and public outreach program, flexibility, continuous improvement, and efficient operations with a lean, well integrated team. KAO program features which should be improved upon with SOFIA are: (1) a management structure that is dedicated primarily to safely maximizing scientific productivity for the resources available, headed by a scientist who is the observatory director, and (2) stimuli to assure prompt distribution and accessibility of data to the scientific community. These and other recommendations were recorded by the SOFIA Science Working Group in 1995, when the KAO was decommissioned to start work on SOFIA. Further operational and organizational factors contributing to the success of the KAO program are described. Their incorporation into SOFIA operations will help assure the success of this new airborne observatory.
SOFIA is supported by NASA in the U.S. and DLR (the German Aerospace Center) in Germany.

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