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3,500+ tourii line up for a look inside SOFIA - IMG_0265
The Kuiper Airborne Observatory, the predecessor to SOFIA, a modified former USAF C-141 Starlifter that flew from 1975 until 1996, carrying a 0.95 meter diameter reflector telescope for infrared and visible spectrum research - Slow formation flight
- The people just draw everything in close
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Close-up of the telescope damping system components, made from German heavy-duty pneumatic truck suspension shock absorbers - these assist in isolating the telescope assembly from the aircraft so that the telescope assembly can remain bore-sighted on astronomical targets within an area the size of a dime, viewed from over 10 miles away - Ready to take on the competition!
- Which one is closest?
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The SOFIA aircraft has been upgraded with four of the latest-and-greatest General Electric 72,000-pound thrust CF6-80E1 turbofan engines, since the aircraft will be flying through at least the year 2030, and the newest engines will more than pay for themselves in fuel/thrust efficiency savings, especially given the price of oil these days, and almost certainly the future (a 747 burns around 3400 gallons of Jet-A fuel per hour at cruise altitude) - Edwards_Airshow_2003_0619
Edwards_Airshow_2003_0619 - Patriots private aerobatics team
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