Kuiper Airborne Observatory
Template:Short description Template:Infobox aircraft The Gerard P. Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) was a national facility operated by NASA to support research in infrared astronomy. The observation platform was a highly modified Lockheed C-141A Starlifter jet transport aircraft (s/n: 6110, registration: N714NA,<ref name=c141heaven/> callsign: NASA 714<ref name=c141heaven/>) with a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km), capable of conducting research operations at altitudes of up to 48,000 feet (14 km).
Aircraft
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The KAO was based at the Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, near Sunnyvale, California. Prior to its conversion to the airborne observatory, it had served as Lockheed's demonstrator for a potential civilian version of the C-141.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Though it began operation in 1974 as a replacement for an earlier aircraft, the Galileo Observatory (itself a converted Convair 990 (N711NA) that was destroyed in a collision with a U.S. Navy Lockheed P-3C Orion patrol aircraft in 1973<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>), the KAO wasn't dedicated until May 21, 1975.<ref name="mewhinney">Template:Cite web Template:PD-notice</ref> The KAO flew at altitudes of 41,000 to 45,000 feet, and flew a total of 1,417 times.<ref name="mewhinney"/>
The KAO has a 160-foot wingspan, measures 145 feet long, and stands 39 feet high. A typical crew consisted of two pilots, a flight engineer, the mission staff, and the flight team, and the aircraft provided a stable platform for missions lasting up to seven and a half hours.<ref name="mewhinney"/> The KAO flew mostly out of Moffett Field, but also flew out of New Zealand, Australia, American Samoa, Panama, Japan, Guam, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Houston (Texas), and Hawaii.<ref name="mewhinney"/>
During a flight in 1978 that took off from American Samoa, two of the observatory's four engines failed soon after takeoff, and after the aircraft staggered and instrument power was shut down, the flight engineer had to crank down the landing gear manually.<ref name="mewhinney"/>
Telescope
The KAO's telescope was a conventional Cassegrain reflector with a 36-inch (91.5 cm) aperture, designed primarily for observations in the 1 to 500 μm spectral range. Its flight capability allowed it to rise above almost all of the water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere (allowing observations of infrared radiation, which is blocked before reaching ground-based facilities), as well as travel to almost any point on the Earth's surface for an observation.
History
The observatory was named in honor of planetary scientist Gerard P. Kuiper, who participated in expeditions on NASA's Galileo Airborne Observatory.<ref name=Milestones>Template:Cite journal</ref>
The KAO made several major discoveries, including the first sightings of the rings of Uranus in 1977 and a definitive identification of an atmosphere on Pluto in 1988. The KAO was used to study the origin and distribution of water and organic molecules in regions of star formation, and in the vast spaces between the stars. Kuiper astronomers also studied the disks surrounding certain stars that may be related to the formation of planetary systems around these stars. It took infrared spectrum measurements of the planet Mercury in 1995.<ref name=browne>Template:Cite news</ref> No quartz or olivine in Mercury's surface rocks was detected.<ref name=browne/>
Peering still deeper into space, KAO astronomers studied powerful far-infrared emissions from the center of the Milky Way and other galaxies. Scientists on board the KAO tracked the formation of heavy elements like iron, nickel, and cobalt from the massive fusion reactions of supernova SN 1987A.
The KAO was retired in 1995 and for many years could be viewed at Moffett Field, although it was no longer airworthy.<ref name=ogden2011>Template:Cite book</ref> It has been succeeded by a Boeing 747-based airborne observatory equipped with a larger aperture telescope, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). SOFIA completed its first test flight on April 26, 2007<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and its telescope saw first light on May 26, 2010.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Initial "routine" science observation flights began in December 2010<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the observatory was at full capability with about 100 flights per year.<ref name="sky and telescope">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=Hautaluoma>Template:Cite news</ref> Eventually, SOFIA was retired, with its last flight on September 30, 2022.
The KAO airframe was scrapped in 2025, with some fuselage sections salvaged by MotoArt for its PlaneTags line of collectibles.<ref name="p846">Template:Cite web</ref> The cockpit was preserved and will go on display at the Pima Air & Space Museum along side SOFIA, while the telescope is to be displayed at the Moffett Field Museum.<ref name="y173">Template:Cite</ref>
See also
References
External links
- About the Kuiper Airborne Observatory
- Infrared Astronomy: The Kuiper Airborne Observatory
- Live from the Stratosphere
- The Compact Cosmic Ray Telescope aboard the Kuiper Airborne Observatory
- Kuiper Airborne Observatory Marks 30th Anniversary of its Dedication
- NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory, 1971–1995:An Operations Retrospective With a View to SOFIA nasa.gov