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Over the years, top military brass, tech executives and even U.S. presidents have flown into Silicon Valley by landing at Moffett Field.
But a different kind of visitor arrived in town Friday, Oct. 18, when a jet airliner touched down at Moffett just before dawn. In this case, the visiting luminary that people were lining up to see was the airplane itself.
The plane, a heavily modified 747 jet, is best known as SOFIA, or the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. In the annals of astronomy, the plane is a star in its own right. For nearly 10 years, the research plane has jetted around the globe collecting data on comets, planets and other interstellar bodies that can only be observed by ascending to Earth’s stratosphere.
The Friday visit to the NASA Ames Research Center was more sentimental than scientific. SOFIA was visiting to mark the 80th anniversary of Ames, and the plane’s arrival was more like a “homecoming,” said project scientist Naseem Rangwala.
About half of the 200 employees who work on the SOFIA mission are centered at NASA Ames, and research park has long been considered the project’s base of operations, where its images are processed and analyzed. By its nature as a roving observatory, SOFIA is constantly on the move, and its last visit to Ames was about eight years ago, Rangwala said.
“It’s really nice to bring SOFIA back to its family here at Ames,” Rangwala said. “SOFIA is a great asset that helps us understand many questions about the universe.”
Like many other high-end telescopes in NASA’s portfolio, SOFIA can’t keep up with the demand for research data. On average, the plane is up in the air 140 times a year collecting telescope imagery. But that flight schedule still only provides enough time for about one out of six research projects that want to use SOFIA, according to NASA officials.
SOFIA is one of the only infrared telescopes available to astronomers, which allows observation of objects that might otherwise be blocked by space dust or gases. Earlier this year, the telescope was integral to the interstellar discovery of clouds of helium hydride, which is considered the first molecule formed following the big bang, the cosmic explosion theorized to have been the start of the universe.
Tours of the SOFIA aircraft are open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis on Saturday, Oct. 19. Anyone interested can sign up at NASA’s events page at www.nasa.gov/ames/event.
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Ferenc Dobronyi shows an image of himself with The Tomorrowmen in concert in Italy at his home in Corta Madera on Oct. 21, 2019. Photo by Magali Gauthier -
The Bay Area is under its 20th Spare the Air alert on Oct. 24 due to smoke from the Kincaid Fire that is expected to impact the region’s air quality. Image courtesy Bay Area Air Quality Management District. -
Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, president of the Board of Supervisors, will hold “Sidewalk Office Hours” in Palo Alto and Mountain on Oct. 26-27. File photo by Veronica Weber. -
Roberto Carlo Gomes-Galan -
Ferenc Dobronyi plays his Fender Jazzmaster in his home studio in Corta Madera on Oct. 21, 2019. Photo by Magali Gauthier -
Frankie and the Pool Boys paraphernalia in Ferenc Dobronyi’s home studio in Corta Madera on Oct. 21, 2019. Photo by Magali Gauthier -
Redwood Symphony will host its annual Halloween Family Concert on Oct. 27. Photo courtesy of Redwood Symphony. -
The telescope is visible out the back of SOFIA on Oct. 18, 2019. Photo by Magali Gauthier
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“SOFIA is one of the only infrared telescopes available to astronomers…”
What does “one of the only” mean?
The only one? One of the few? (In most writing, “only” and “one of” are mutually exclusive.)
Could you rephrase it more clearly?
@Hmm… “One of the only infrared telescopes” means just that. There are exactly SIX large infrared telescopes worldwide, and one of them is SOFIA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_infrared_telescopes
Alex M, your “means just that” missed my point completely.
Literally, “the only” means there’s exactly one. But “one of” implies out of more than one. Which do you want?
I’m an experienced editor. “One of the only” is a fairly recent usage habit, by people with a fuzzier understanding of “only.” The situation you described always appears in carefully-edited publications as “one of the few infrared telescopes.” (The same publications that print “better of the two” and “best of the three” but not “best of the two.” “One of the only” is less subtle than that, and is taken by many professional wordsmiths as a simple error.)
I wish I had seen an announcement before it was here. I would liked to have seen one of the few.