SOFIA NASA Social
I’ve been a NASA fan, since I first watched the moon landing in 1969. When I was invited to attend the SOFIA NASA Social at NASA Armstrong in Palmdale, I said yes.
Previously, I attended the NASA SpaceX #CRS15 launch in Florida and the #ICESAT2 launch in Lompoc. This was my first time to do a social event with their airplanes, instead of rockets. I learned a lot and had a great time.
NASA has hosted over 160 of these events around the country, so far. They select a diverse group of participants for each one, so that the experience will be shared with each participant’s unique group of friends, family and social media connections.
The main focus of this social event was SOFIA, which is an acronym that stands for Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. She is a Boeing 747SP that has been specially modified, so that the flying observatory can study the solar system and beyond. The data that is collected on her flights helps researchers better understand the earth and far away things like stars, planets, black holes and even other solar systems.
Photo Gallery
Access Badge
Introductions
SOFIA Boeing 747SP
Cockpit – SOFIA
Reflecting Telescope – SOFIA
Mirror Coating Facility
Super Guppy Maintenance
The Belly of The Super Guppy
ER-2
C-20
Cockpit – C-20
C-20A – Modified Gulfstream
Armstrong Flight Research DC-8
NASA Armstrong Airborne Science Program
#NASAsocial #NASA747 #NASASOFIA
In addition to touring SOFIA, our group got to see several other planes in Hangar 703. The NASA Armstrong is a Flight Research Center, so everything they do has broad scientific purposes. NASA coordinates joint projects with educational facilities, private companies and other countries. SOFIA is an 80/20 partnership with DLR (Germany’s NASA equivalent), and on each flight there will be a variety of experiments conducted.
It was amazing to see SOFIA, but another highlight of the social was the Super Guppy. If you are unfamiliar with this unique cargo plane, it looks like a gigantic guppy. Yes, it’s huge! It doesn’t seem like something this shape and size should fly, but it does.
The Super Guppy is usually based in Texas, but was in Hangar 703 for scheduled maintenance. This large hangar has plenty of room for the aircraft, while other NASA facilities do not. We also got to see ER-2, C-20 and DC-8 research airplanes in the hangar.
The NASA Social was fantastic, both for the things that I learned and the people I met. Seeing the amazing things that NASA and its partners do gives me hope for our future. Science is definitely cool, and good things happen when smart people work together.
NASA Armstrong
Building 703
2825 E Ave P
Palmdale, CA 93550
Check out my other travel articles, so you can get inspiration for your next adventure.