Moffett Federal Airfield will soon become the home for a multimillion dollar, infrared telescope that mounts atop a Boeing 747 jet and studies the atmospheres of other planets, NASA announced last week.
Called the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), the $484.2 million, 98-inch telescope will be used at altitudes between 41,000 and 45,000 feet-- just at the edge of space.
At that altitude, scientists will be able to study the heat pattern from stars, planets and other celestial sources.
The jet will be purchased next year, but modifications to the aircraft and testing of the telescope will take place over the next three years. The first flight is scheduled to begin in 2001.
Officials estimate SOFIA's 160 yearly flights will contribute $30 million a year to the economies of the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley over the projected 25-year life of the project.
The benefits will come as a result of aircraft operations, research grants and educational programs, said David Vossbrink, a spokesman for the City of Sunnyvale.
The project drew the praise of public officials.
U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo called the announcement a "great victory for Ames and Moffett." The airfield will be the test site for the project.
Sunnyvale City Councilmember Pat Vorreiter said the project will bring substantial economic benefit to Silicon Valley.
--Bay City News Service
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, December 25, 1996.
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