Latest Astronomical observatories Stories

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Science Center at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, has selected the YAAYS (Yerkes Astrophysics Academy for Young Scientists) and Space Exploration and Experience (SEE) projects at the University of Chicago's Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, to receive funding support for the 2009 calendar year. Resources used in the YAAYS and SEE...

NASA has awarded a contract modification to L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, L.P., of Waco, Texas, for further developmental engineering in support of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy mission, known as SOFIA.This option modification under the base contract L-3 currently holds extends the period of performance through Dec. 31, 2009. The option is valued at approximately $8.7 million, bringing the total value of the contract to about $37.7 million.The initial...

COLUMBIA, Md., April 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Erick Young as the Science Mission Operations Director for the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA - a highly modified Boeing 747SP aircraft fitted with a 2.5-meter/98-inch diameter infrared telescope). Dr. Young's selection marks a major milestone in the program's progress. As SOFIA Science Mission Operations Director, Dr....

On 3 April, ESA astronomers will take part in "˜Around the world in 80 telescopes', a unique live webcast which will be part of the "˜100 Hours of Astronomy' cornerstone project for the International Year of Astronomy 2009. Viewers will have a peek into ESA's XMM-Newton and Integral satellite control rooms in Spain.The General Assembly of the United Nations has declared 2009 as the 'International Year of Astronomy' (IYA 2009). This global program was initiated by the International...

Edwards Air Force Base, Calif - NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, has passed a significant mission milestone. It has completed the first phase of experimental flight tests, which confirmed the structural integrity and performance of the modified 747SP SOFIA aircraft that carries a huge infrared telescope. The telescope measures nearly 10 feet in width and weighs almost 19 tons. It peers through a 16-foot-high door cut into SOFIA's 747 fuselage. During this...

Deputy Administrator Shana Dale unveiled the agency's anniversary logo Thursday in a ceremony at WIRED Magazine's annual NextFest in Los Angeles. NASA's "birthday" is October 1, 1958. Recent shuttle astronauts and future NASA technology are also in the spotlight at NextFest, which features the latest innovations in products and technologies in many areas where NASA plays a leading role. Dale and astronaut Scott Kelly introduced the space shuttle's STS-118 crew, including mission...