Benjamin Dean Lecture: SOFIA: Astronomy from the Stratosphere

As SOFIA Science Mission Operations Director, Young directs, supervises, and provides technical and management guidance for the combined Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and Deutsches SOFIA Institute (DSI) staff. He also manages the airborne observatory's equipment, instruments, support facilities, and infrastructure. SOFIA is a highly modified Boeing 747SP airplane that carries a 2.5-meter telescope. Flying above 40,000 ft, this NASA observatory conducts infrared observations impossible from ground-based locations. In this presentation, Dr. Young will cover the development, results, and future of this unique facility.Speaker: Dr. Erick Young,Science Mission and Operations Director, SOFIA Science Center