Video: NASA's Flying 747 Observatory

Video: NASA’s Flying 747 Observatory

Editorial Staff

Monday, June 24, 2013 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) project involved a complex engineering feat.
Scientists cut a large, garage-door-sized hole into the side of a 747 aircraft to facilitate its mission.
An exclusive AVweb video explains how NASA achieved this modification, allowing the plane to fly at high speeds (0.8 Mach) without structural issues.

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How do you cut a hole the size of a two-car garage door into the side of a 747 and fly with it at 0.8 Mach without turning the thing into a 300-ton organ pipe? In this exclusive AVweb video, find out how NASA did exactly this for the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (or SOFIA). AVweb recently visited the program at its Palmdale, California headquarters.

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