SCI2017_0007: Artist illustration of the thick ring of dust that can obscure the energetic processes that occur near the supermassive black hole of an active galactic nuclei. The SOFIA studies suggest that the dust distribution is about 30 percent smaller than previously thought. Credit: NASA/SOFIA/Lynette Cook

After nine years in deep space collecting data that revealed our night sky to be filled with billions of hidden planets, more planets even than stars, NASA’s Kepler space telescope has run out of fuel needed for further science operations. Illustration depicting the Kepler spacecraft in a sky filled with exoplanets and planetary systems.

SCI2016_0001: SOFIA/GREAT [O I] spectrum at 4.7 THz (63 μm) superimposed on a picture of Mars. Absorption line depth is approximately 10% of the continuum. The abundance of atomic oxygen computed from the data is less than expected from the Forget et al. 1999 global circulation & photochemical model. Credit: SOFIA/GREAT spectrum: NASA/DLR/USRA/DSI/MPIfR/GREAT Consortium/MPIfS/Rezac et al. 2015; Mars image: NASA

SCI2017_0004: Artist's illustration of the Epsilon Eridani system showing Epsilon Eridani b, right foreground, a Jupiter-mass planet orbiting its parent star at the outside edge of an asteroid belt. In the background can be seen another narrow asteroid or comet belt plus an outermost belt similar in size to our solar system's Kuiper Belt. The similarity of the structure of the Epsilon Eridani system to our solar system is remarkable, although Epsilon Eridani is much younger than our sun. SOFIA observations confirmed the existence of the asteroid belt adjacent to the orbit of the Jovian planet. Credit: NASA/SOFIA/Lynette Cook

Next Generation PIAA mirrors were made by Tinsley and are inside the enclosure. Shows dummy set-up uning early PIAA mirors made by Axsys on loan to Ames from JPL.

SCI2016_0006: Map of Cepheus E emphasizing the jets of material flowing to the upper left and lower right from the protostar. The protostar itself is the central yellow-red 'blob" in the colored background map of hydrogen emission made at a wavelength of 4.5 microns by the Spitzer infrared space telescope. The contour curves show the strength of emission from cool carbon monoxide gas measured by the Plateau de Bure radio telescope located in the French Alps. Lefloch et al. used GREAT on SOFIA to measure the amount and velocity of hot carbon monoxide gas at multiple positions along both "wings" of the outflow jet. Credit: Lefloch et al. 2015 Figure 1

SCI2012_0003: SOFIA mid-infrared image of the planetary nebula Minkowski 2-9 (M2-9), also known as the Butterfly Nebula, compared with a visual-wavelength Hubble Space Telescope image at the same scale and orientation. The nebula is composed of two lobes of gas & dust expelled from a dying star with about the mass of our Sun that is seen at the center of the lobes. The HST image shows mostly ionized gas in the lobes whereas the SOFIA image shows mostly solid grains condensing in the gas. The SOFIA data were obtained during SOFIA's Early Science program in 2011 by a Guest Investigator team led by Michael Werner of Caltech/JPL using the FORCAST camera (P.I.Terry Herter, Cornell University). Credit: SOFIA image, RGB = 37, 24, 20 microns; NASA/DLR/USRA/DSI/FORCAST team/M. Werner et al./A. Helton, J. Rho; HST image: NASA/ESA/NSF/AURA/Hubble Heritage Team/STScI/B. Balick, V. Icke, G. Mellema

SCI2017_0003: The column of material at and just below the surface of dwarf planet Ceres (box) – the top layer contains anhydrous (dry) pyroxene dust accumulated from space mixed in with native hydrous (wet) dust, carbonates, and water ice. (Bottom) Cross section of Ceres showing the surface layers that are the subject of this study plus a watery mantle and a rocky-metallic core. Credit: Pierre Vernazza, LAM–CNRS/AMU

The Special Olympics torch make it's way through the NASA Ames Research Park on it's way to a hand-off in Mountain View, CA

Top rear view of the avrocar with tail. Tufts (pieces of yarn) attached to top of horizontal tail. Avrocar mounted on variable height struts.

The Special Olympics Torch makes it’s way through NASA Ames Research Park on it’s way to a hand-off in Mountain View, CA.

Front 3/4 view of the Avrocar mounted on variable height struts in the Ames 40x80 foot wind tunnel, without tail.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman speaks with Dr. George Raiche, Associate Director for Exploration Technology Infrastructure during his visit to the Arc Jet facility in N238.

Avrocar in the shop of the 40x80 foot wind tunnel with the 4 prop tilt wing model in the back ground.

Erin Fritzler during the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

TechEdSat-11 operators Daphne Dao, left, and Alejandro Salas, in the Ames Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240 Annex, Eros control room 162. The team monitors the spacecraft's status during the Exo-Brake “parachute” deployment. The ExoBrake is a drag device that increases the total surface area of the spacecraft to assist with a quicker deorbit. This maneuver is deployed at the end of mission to satisfy NASA's deorbit requirement and prevent space debris. TechEdSat has spent the last several months coordinating with NASA’s Conjunction Assessment Risk Analysis (CARA) team to ensure the spacecraft can safely deploy the ExoBrake without colliding into any other objects.

Orion Deputy Program Manager Debbie Korth, at the podium, leads a question-and-answer session with NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Victor J. Glover, right, with Ames employees following the Orion Circle of Excellence Award Ceremony in the Syvertson Auditorium, N201.

Group photo of the Orion astronauts with the staff of the Ames Arc Jet Complex in N238. Front row: Luis Saucedo, left, Debbie Korth, Christina Koch, Victor J. Glover, and George Raiche, right.

NASA astronauts Victor J. Glover, left, and Christina Koch, with Joe Mach as they tour STAR Labs, N238

The drone follows an autonomously defined path around the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron. The drone photographs the aircraft with a visible and infrared camera which are processed using a photogrammetry software package called Pix4D that converts them into a 3D model. Scanning the aircraft is the first phase of documenting the aircraft demolition as well as an opportunity to train pilots to operate the Pix4D software.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman meets wind tunnel staff during a tour of the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT) facility in N227.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman meets Terry Fong during his visit to the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC) in N240A.

Top Plan view of Bell Rotor with Ed Verrett left frame. Test #437.

NASA Ames Computer Division, Smith (Weidlich). Candid: Marcia Smith Operating the IBM #740 Computer, Room #119-A, Building N-233.

Group photo in STAR Labs in N242 with NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Victor J. Glover.

A Volvo Crawler Excavator severs the airframe, separating the tail section from the fuselage, of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron of Moffett Field, California.

Zachary Burkland, left, Justin Pane, and Jay Trimble, right during the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

Lift engine VSTOL fighter model, 3/4 lower front view showing jet engines exit vanes. Yarn tufts attached to horizontal tail.

Antoine Tardy explains the operation of the Moon Gravity Representative Unit (MGRU3) at the Roverscape during Family Day for team members of the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER). MGRU3 is a weight equivalent mobility and navigation test platform for VIPER. It is used to test, develop and validate the different mobility and navigation techniques and capabilities of the VIPER rover, to safely and efficiently map water at the Moon’s South Pole.

A Volvo Crawler Excavator severs the airframe, separating the tail section from the fuselage, of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron of Moffett Field, California.

Forward overhead view of 4 jet model with external flow of jet augmented triple slotted flap. John Bouldt

David Korsmeyer welcomes Ames employees to the Orion Circle of Excellence Award Ceremony in the Syvertson Auditorium, N201.

Composite image of Background Oriented Schlieren (BOS) data (contour) with a cut-out images of the T-38’s during a Mach Number 1.02 pass. The interaction of the shockwave of the trailing aircraft with the exhaust plume of the lead aircraft shows a shockwave reflection. Original recording of the pass taken in the Black Mountain Supersonic Corridor at near Edwards AFB in December of 2018. Image acquired by JT Heineck, schlieren data processed by Neal Smith.

3/4 rear view Ryan XV-5A lift-fan VSTOL airplane. Pictured with Tom Wills.

Overhead view of Ryan XV-5A lift-fan VSTOL airplane.

(03/12/1943) Aerial view of the site from the 40x80 wind tunnel At NASA Ames Research Center. Site includes the 16 foot and 7x10 wind tunnels in the background. Building 200 also under construction. Framing for the drive fans of the 40x80 in scene.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman responds to questions from Ames employees during his coffee and donuts event in MegaBites N235.

Megan MacDonald, left, leads NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Victor J. Glover, right, on a tour of the Laser Enhanced Arc Jet Facility (LEAF) laboratory, in N238. The LEAF laser augments the hypersonic shock heating experienced by a test sample during an arc jet test and provides improved test simulation quality by supplying an intense source of optical heating while the arc jet flow provides shock-driven convective heating.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman visits the Arc Jet facility in N238.

(Oct. 27 1976) Controllable Twist Rotor, 40x80 Foot Wind Tunnel at Ames Research Center, model With John Bolt.

Overhead view of Boeing Super Sonic Transport , wings un-swept.

The cockpit of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), is separated from the airframe on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

3/4 front view of M-1-L inflatable recovery able lifting body model in Ames 40x80 foot wind tunnel. Mechanic, Ray Schmorance included in picture.

Sybil Adams during the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

Senior executives from the Renault-Nissan Alliance visited Ames meet with Ames management and gather for a Autonomous Drive demo. Shown here left to right is Terry Fong, Ames Research Center and Jose Munoz, Chairman, Nissan North America.

Top front view of Delta wing lift fan fighter model.

Detail view of 4 propeller model rotating cylinder flap at 90 degrees with yarn tufts attached.

Horizontal view (side) of model, Ray Schmoranc in photo. Test #452

Zachary Burkland, left, and Jay Trimble, during the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

NASA astronaut Victor J. Glover, left, Orion Deputy Program Manager Debbie Korth, Deputy Center Director David Korsmeyer, Luis Saucedo, Parul Agrawal, and NASA astronaut Christina Koch, left, in the lobby of N200.

Chris Provencher during the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

(03/12/1976) 1/50 scale model of the 80x120 foot wind tunnel model (NFAC) in the test section of the 40x80 wind tunnel. Model viewed from the west, mounted on a rotating ground board designed for this test. Ramp leading to ground board includes a generic building placed in front of the 80x120 inlet.

Investigation of a tilt-wing/propeller model with blowing flaps. 3/4 front view, tilt wing model, wing position = 0deg. C-123 fuselage, conventional struts, 4 props

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman responds to questions from Ames employees during his coffee and donuts event in MegaBites N235.

Vanguard 2C vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) airplane, wind tunnel test. Front view from below, model 14 1/2 feet high disk off. Nasa Ames engineer Ralph Maki in photo. Variable height struts and ground plane, low pressure ratio, fan in wing. 02/01/1960.

Photo composite (8 frames) of the flight deck of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), with stations for the flight engineer, co-pilot, pilot, and navigator, who typically only flew on long overseas flights.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman meets with NASA Next Cohort leadership in N232.

Richard Kolyer, left, with Jonas Jonsson guide the drone to land behind the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron.

Arno Rogg explains the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission to visitors in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240, during VIPER Family Day.

Terry Fong, left, and Chris Provencher during the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

Cables in the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), severed prior to removing the cockpit on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

Spring comes to Ames Research Center, trees are blossoming, and the resident Mallard ducks are out and about.

Aircraft demolition of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman speaks with Ames engineers during his visit to the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC) in N240A.

3/4 front view with cascade exit vane in Ames 40x80 foot wind tunnel, with Tom Seymore, mechanic for Ames.

3/4 front view from below of Delta wing Model with Nose Inlet in Ames 40x80 foot wind tunnel.

Installation of the Douglas A-26B airplane in the 40x80 foot wind tunnel at NACA's Ames Research Center. Airplane being centered over tunnel opening.

Hans Thomas during the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

Jesse Fusco, left, and James Milsk at the BioSentinel command console in the Ames Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240 Annex, Ceres control room 172, receiving spacecraft telemetry at the 3-year anniversary since launch on Artemis I.

Terry Fong during the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

Forward overhead view of lift fan transport model, with two, of a possible six, high pressure ratio wing lift fans. Lift Fan Model In 40 X 80 Wind Tunnel; Test 40-347

Vertol-76 Descent Test. Tilt Wing airplane prop rig at 80 deg. Angle of attack, in the 40x80 foot wind tunnel at NASA's Ames Research Center.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, front, talks to the workforce at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley during the “Moon to Mars” town hall in the N201 Syvertson Auditorium. Behind, left to right, are Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, Associate Administrator Bob Cabana, Ames Center Director Eugene Tu, Director of Space Architectures Kurt “Spuds” Vogel, Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration in the Science Mission Directorate Joel Kearns.

Close-up view of the tail section of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), during its demolition on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

Removing the skin from the airframe of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

Location portrait of Rusty Hunt in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240, for the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission.

Rusty Hunt during the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

Publicity Shot of close up of Nacell, Drive Nacel and cooling vent in nose for wind tunnel in NACA Ames 40x80 foot Wind Tunnel.

Vice President Mike Pence right center, chatting with Jim Bridenstein, left, Tony Colaprete. left center and Dan Andrews, right in front of the VIPER robot at the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS).

Director of Science Michael Hesse, right, presents an overview of Lunar Explorer Instrument for space biology Applications (LEIA) to Acting Deputy Associate Administrator (DAA) for the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Mark Clampin in the Bioscience Collaborative Laboratory, N288.

Sybil Adams during the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

Cables in the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), severed prior to removing the cockpit on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman visits the Arc Jet facility in N238.

G.E fan-in-fuselage model (lifting) 3/4 front view of fan at low G.P. position

Thermophysics Facilities Branch Chief George Raiche, right, leads NASA astronauts Victor J. Glover, left, and Christina Koch through the Arc Jet Complex in N238.

Acting Deputy Associate Administrator (DAA) for the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Mark Clampin learns about the Lunar Explorer Instrument for space biology Applications (LEIA) the Bioscience Collaborative Laboratory, N288.

This Nissan LEAF vehicle being tested on the Ames campus is equipped with cameras, sensors and cellular data networking, and uses robotics software originally developed for Ames’ K-10 and K-REX planetary rovers to operate autonomously. Shown here are Kathy Sun and Liam Pedersen, Nissan who are awaiting the arrival of the visiting group from Renault-Nissan Alliance for a demo ride across Ames.

The drone follows an autonomously defined path around the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron. The drone photographs the aircraft with a visible and infrared camera which are processed using a photogrammetry software package called Pix4D that converts them into a 3D model. Scanning the aircraft is the first phase of documenting the aircraft demolition as well as an opportunity to train pilots to operate the Pix4D software.

A Volvo Crawler Excavator severs the airframe, separating the tail section from the fuselage, of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron of Moffett Field, California.

Cables in the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), severed prior to removing the cockpit on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

3/4 front view from below of the Ryan FR-1 airplane mounted in the NACA Ames 40x80 foot wind tunnel. Production configuration.

Victoria Moore outside the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) vehicle operational readiness test in the Multi-Mission Operations Center (MMOC), N240A.

Foreword, front view of McDonnell Model XV-1 Convertiplane in the Ames 40x80 Foot Wind Tunnel. The McDonnell XV-1 was an experimental compound gyroplane developed for a joint research program between the United States Air Force and the United States Army to explore technologies to develop an aircraft that could take off and land like a helicopter but fly at faster airspeeds, similar to a conventional airplane. The XV-1 would reach a speed of 200 mph (322 km/h), faster than any previous rotorcraft, but the program was terminated due to the tip-jet noise and complexity of the technology which gave only a modest gain in performance.

Yellow straps are threaded through the airframe of the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), before removing the cockpit on the N211 apron at Moffett Field, California.

KAMAN K-16-B aircraft

Test No. 175 Kaman K-16 being lowered into the 40x80 foot wind tunnel at NASA's Ames Research Center, viewed from the front. Kaman K-16B was an experimental tilt wing aircraft, it used the fuselage of a JRF-5 and was powered by two General Electric YT58-GE-2A engines.

Senior executives from the Renault-Nissan Alliance, including Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO of Nissan, and Jose Munoz, chairman of Nissan North America, visited Ames for meetings and a showcase of the technical partnership between NASA and Nissan North America. The partnership allows researchers to develop and test autonomy algorithms, concepts, and integrated prototypes for a variety of vehicular transport applications – from rovers to self-driving cars. After briefings, a company of including Eugene Tu, Ames Center Director andLiam Pedersen, Nissan on right Carlos Ghosn, CE, Nissan on left climb into in the autonomous vehicle to observed testing of Nissan’s all-electric LEAF as it performed safe autonomous drives across the center.

Investigation of cambered propeller design for VTOL/STOL airplane. 3/4 front view of Curtis VTOL propeller.

Test No. 175 Kaman K-16 in 40x80 Foot Wind Tunnel at Ames Research Center. Kaman K-16B was an experimental tilt wing aircraft, it used the fuselage of a JRF-5 and was powered by two General Electric YT58-GE-2A engines.