NASA's Retired Flying Observatory SOFIA Makes One Last Flight Towards Its Final Resting Place at Arizona Museum

NASA's iconic Boeing 747, carrying the largest flying observatory in the world, has completed its final flight. The space agency modified the aircraft to carry a reflecting telescope for the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) that observed the cosmos during its long plane rides.

On December 13, SOFIA took off for the last time toward its final resting place. According to an article in Simply Flying, NASA's jumbo jet will be spending its retirement years at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, where it will be available on public display.

A view of NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) April 20, 2010 on a media preview day at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center test facility in Palmdale, California. SOFIA, the only flying astronomical observatory in the world, is a specially modified Boeing 747 fitted with a 2.8-meter (98-inch) German-made telescope mounted inside a telescope bay which opens for observation. ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

SOFIA in Its Resting Place

SOFIA took off at 8:31 am on Tuesday and performed one last flyby of NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, California, complete with a wing tilt to acknowledge everyone who supported and worked on the flying observatory.

It landed in Tucson at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base at 11:33 am and will undergo the final preparations to join the Arizona museum. SOFIA project scientist Dr. Naseem Rangwala highlighted some of the accomplishments of the portable telescope.

SOFIA will eventually go into public display after its final preparations. Pima Air & Space Museum is one of the largest aerospace museums in the world, which is currently developing plans for how to put SOFIA on public display. The museum is home to a dedicated restoration facility where it can preserve incoming aircraft for future generations.

According to NASA, they followed regulations for the disposition of excess government equipment in ending SOFIA's mission. Its last resting place includes six hangars, 80 acres of outdoor display grounds, and over 425 aircraft worldwide.

SOFIA will be joining some notable retired NASA aircraft, such as the first Super Guppy that transported Saturn V rocket parts for Apollo missions and the KC-135 "Weightless Wonder V.

The exhibition will also include additional mission artifacts that showcase the legacy of SOFIA in honor of its valuable research contributions. The SOFI team at NASA thanked everyone who contributed to making the mission a success.

SOFIA's Legacy

The Boeing 747SP first served as a Pan Am passenger aircraft registered as Clipper Lindbergh from 1977 to 1986. Then in 1997, NASA bought the aircraft and modified it to carry a giant 100-inch (2.5 meters) telescope that weighs about 38,000 pounds (17,000 kilograms).

The aircraft also has a large rolling door on the side to allow the telescope to observe the skies as it was used for the SOFIA mission. Its door is considered one of the largest open ports that have ever flown on an aircraft and the largest certified to fly at all altitudes and speeds with a door open.

Despite that, the telescope remained stable inside, which is equivalent to keeping a laser pointing steadily at a penny from 10 miles away, as per Simple Flying. Its unique setup allows the telescope to fly above 99.9% of water in the atmosphere, a crucial element in achieving its research goals.

SOFIA's mission includes observing how stars form, detecting the first type of molecule that originated in the universe called helium hydride, and observing other planets and the Moon in the Solar System. The aircraft completed its last mission on September 28 at 20:45 local time.