Technicians carefully disassemble portions of the aperture mounting assembly from NASA's SOFIA aircraft in preparation for removal of the telescope

Technicians carefully disassemble portions of the aperture mounting assembly from NASA's SOFIA aircraft in preparation for removal of the telescope.

Technicians carefully disassemble portions of the aperture mounting assembly from NASA's SOFIA aircraft in preparation for removal of the telescope.

Photographer NASA/Tony Landis
Location AFRC
SOFIAStratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomyaperture mounting assemblyupper rigid door assemblycavity doorsremovalAmes Research CenterDryden Aircraft Operations FacilityPalmdaleSite 9Clipper LindberghGerman-built 100-inch 2 5 meter diameter infrared telescope20 tonshighly-modified Boeing 747SP aircraftDLR Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt German AerospaceL-3 Communications Integrated SystemsUniversities Space Research AssociationUSRADeutsches SOFIA InstitutDSI