Meetings & Dinner
This is how we spent most of the week. In this room. ;)
(left to right) Bob Krzaczek, Jessica St. Croix, Bethany Iannone, me, John Graybeal(MCS).
(foreground left to right) Joel Kastner, Mike Gross (MCS), Pat Fleckenstien, Sean Graham.
We ate one night in this Thai restaurant. Pretty yummy.
(left to right) Jessica St. Croix, me, Bethany Iannone, Michal Richards, Sean Graham(hidden), Bob Krzaczek(hidden), Pete Scherrer (back of table), John Graybeal, Mike Gross, Lan Li, Joe Pow (sitting across from me), and Milla (can't remember her last name)
Pat and I tested the structural stability of two chopsticks held together with a straw.
Hangar 1 - Moffett Field
This is where the KAO is currently being housed, and also where one of 2 Boeing 747's that transport the Space Shuttle are having its landing gear worked on.It's hard to express how large this hangar is. I think the next picture does that job fairly well. It was constructed in the early 1940's. It housed airships, and is constructed of wood (metal was being rationed due to it being wartime).
Most of the SOFIA DCS/MCS group are gathered around as John Graybeal explains stuff about the KAO.
5/6ths of the current DCS team stand in front of the 747.
(left to right) Jerry Lawrence (me), Sean Graham, Jessica St. Croix, Bethany Iannone, Bob Krzaczek
Joel Kastner (Scientist with SOFIA instrument HAWC, RIT Professor, formerly with Chandra) shows us the 747.
KAO - Kuiper Airborne Observatory
This is the aircraft that SOFIA is replacing. The Kuiper flew for about 21 years, and was retired around 1994. As you can see, the conditions inside were a little rough. It has a 1 meter diameter telescope, (SOFIA's is 2.5 meters) onto which science instruments can be attached. Flights would last upwards of 8 or so hours. Generally, the instrument (and data collected) stayed with the scientist who built/monitored it. SOFIA opens this up such that any scientist can use any of the standard instruments, or use previously collected data.
"Cut Here For Emergency Rescue"
(l to r) Bob Krzaczek, Bethany Iannone, Jessica St. Croix, Sean Graham (with a knife), Me.
In the cockpit
Outside of the aircraft
The optics of the telescope
SSMOC - SOFIA Science Missions Operations Center
This is basically the hangar (or as Beth says, "Han-gaahr") where the SOFIA 747 will be stored and maintained. In this building will be the ground-based computers which will do all of the data processing and reduction, a facility for resurfacing the mirror (which needs to be done roughly once every 2 years), meeting rooms, offices, etc. It is currently under construction (as you can see.)In the next image, you can see the catwalk wich will go out to the entrance to the plane. Behind it, close to the hangar entrance, you can see the beginnings of the facility where the lens resurfacing will happen.
