Welcome

NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) will be open for viewing to registered guests on Saturday October 19, 2019. SOFIA is a Boeing 747SP jetliner modified to carry a 106-inch diameter telescope. It is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center, DLR. NASA Ames is home to the SOFIA Science Center where onboard mission systems are developed, research flights are planned, and data from celestial observations are reduced, delivered to the scientific community and archived.

All guests U.S. citizens or permanent residents to register for the event. No guests under 10 years of age will be admitted. All adults (aged 18 or older) will need to present a government-issued ID, such as a drivers’ license, to enter the base and present a valid ticket (electronic or paper) for entry. The viewing of SOFIA, including wait time in line, may take as long as two hours, possibly more. 

No backpacks, purses, personal bags, bottles, cans, food, or drink will be allowed on the aircraft. Cameras are permitted (camera bags are not permitted). Additionally, please note that there is no wheelchair access to the aircraft.

About SOFIA 

SOFIA is a Boeing 747SP jetliner modified to carry a 106-inch diameter telescope. It is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center, DLR. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley manages the SOFIA program, science and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and the German SOFIA Institute (DSI) at the University of Stuttgart. The aircraft is maintained and operated from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703, in Palmdale, California.  
 
Ames is home to the SOFIA Science Center where onboard mission systems are developed, research flights are planned, and data from celestial observations are reduced, delivered to the scientific community and archived. Throughout  SOFIA's development, Ames staff have played a major role performing wind tunnel and computational fluid dynamics tests on SOFIA design configurations; structural design, development, and assembly of observatory components – in particular the telescope cavity’s Upper Rigid door; and software systems development that enables the telescope and instruments to collect data at infrared wavelengths. 

SOFIA @ NASA in Silicon Valley
Saturday October 19, 2019 - Reserve your entry time now!

SOFIA @ NASA in Silicon Valley

Registration Close
Please contact NASA Ames Office of Communication at arcevents@mail.nasa.gov if you're having technical problems or prefer to confirm your invitation by email or phone.