CONTENTS
- Aeronautics and Space Report of the President: Fiscal Year 2024 Activities
- History of the SOFIA Airborne Observatory Now Online
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President: Fiscal Year 2024 Activities

The Fiscal Year 2024 edition of the Aeronautics and Space Report of the President, coordinated by staff in the NASA History Office, is
now available! You can access this report and all previous reports going back to 1958 at
https://www.nasa.gov/history/history-publications-and-resources/aeronautics-and-space-report-of-the-president/.
History of the SOFIA Airborne Observatory Now Online

The newest offering in the NASA History Series,
SOFIA: The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy is now available on NASAâs website as a free e-book.
NASAâs Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) was an airborne observatory that operated from 2010 to 2022. Developed out of a former passenger
aircraft, SOFIA flew a 2.7-meter infrared telescope above the bulk of the water vapor in Earthâs atmosphere, allowing scientists to observe infrared light difficult to see from the ground. Operated in partnership with the German Aerospace Center, SOFIA provided
flexibility in targeting astronomical subjects and made significant contributions to the study of magnetic fields, star formation, and the chemistry of interstellar clouds.
This new report by historian Lois R. Rosson provides the first retrospective look at SOFIA since the missionâs conclusion in 2022. Using archival records
and oral histories with astronomers, project managers, flight crew, and international partners, Rosson situates SOFIA in a broader history of airborne observation at NASA and narrates the observatoryâs development, operations, and legacy. Though SOFIA was
retired in 2022, it functioned as a bridge between ground- and space-based infrared astronomy, and its data sets continue to offer valuable insights into the shape and composition of our universe.
Download the e-book:
https://www.nasa.gov/history/sofia
_________________________________

NASA History Office
Office of Communications
history@mail.nasa.gov
www.nasa.gov/history
Facebook â¢
X â¢
Flickr