World's Largest Airborne Telescope Delivered

Thurog writes "SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, has received the telescope built in Germany by the German Space Agency, DLR. SOFIA consists of a Boeing 747SP aircraft modified by L-3 Communications Integrated Systems to accommodate a 2.5 meter reflecting telescope. When on a mission, it will soar through the higher levels of the atmosphere, thereby overcoming the fact that atmospherical humidity filters most of incoming infrared radiation. It's not the first airborne telescope, but so far the most powerful."