The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a joint program by the German Aerospace Center and NASA, achieved a major milestone May 26, with its first in-flight night observations.

The highly modified SOFIA Boeing 747SP jetliner fitted with a 100-inch diameter reflecting telescope took off from its home base at the Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif., of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center.

An airborne observatory like the Sofia plane combines the best of ground- and spaceborne telescopes: Operators can easily upgrade and fix problems, while it's high altitude takes it above most of the atmospheric absorbance.

The in-flight personnel consisted of an international crew from NASA, the Universities Space Research Association in Columbia, Md., Cornell University and the German SOFIA Institute (DSI) in Stuttgart. During the nearly eight-hour flight, at altitudes up to 10km the crew of 10 scientists, astronomers, engineers and technicians gathered telescope performance data at consoles in the aircraft's main cabin.

And he fist images from the airborne 2,6meter Infrared telescope promises exiting results for the future

Sorces: NASA and Cornell university