SOFIA: Progress and Initial Science Flights

SOFIA: Progress and Initial Science Flights Erick YoungSOFIA Science Mission Operations Space Telescope Science CenterMarch 30, 2011

Motivation for Airborne Astronomy • For much of the infrared, the Earth’s atmosphere blocks all transmission. • The problem is water vapor • If we can get above this water vapor, much more can be observed.

Early Days of Airborne Astronomy • NASA Lear Jet as an observing platform was pioneered by University of Arizona astronomy Frank Low • Observations from the Lear Jet demonstrated that Jupiter had an internal source of heat

Kuiper Airborne Observatory • The Kuiper Airborne Observatory was a highly modified C141 aircraft with a 36-inch telescope • It flew from 1975 to 1995 and carried a wide array of instruments

Motivation for SOFIA • Infrared transmission in the stratosphere very good: >80% from 1 to 1000 m • Resolution and sensitivity is set by the size of the telescope • Instrumentation: wide complement, rapidly interchangeable, state-of-the art • Mobility: anywhere, anytime • Long lifetime • Outstanding platform to train future Instrumentalists • SOFIA will have an important role in education and public outreach

Overview of SOFIA • SOFIA is a 2.7 m (2.5 m effective aperture) telescope in a modified B747SP aircraft • Optical-mm performance • Obscured IR (30-300 m) most important • SOFIA is a joint program between the US (80%) and Germany (20%) • We have been working closely with our German colleagues to make SOFIA a unified observatory • Operating altitude • 39,000 to 45,000 feet (12 to 14 km) • Above > 99% of obscuring water vapor • First science flights took place at the end of 2010 • Designed for 20 year lifetime

SOFIA – The Observatory Open cavity (door not shown) Educators work station Pressure bulkhead Scientist stations, telescope and instrument control, etc. Telescope Scientific instrument

M2 Pressure bulkhead Focal Plane Spherical Hydraulic Bearing M3-1 Nasmyth tube M3-2 Primary Mirror M1 Focal Plane Imager SOFIA Optical Layout • Pressure Bulkhead • Spherical Bearing • Nasmyth Tube

The Telescope Assembly – A Major German Contribution

Major Physical Installations Main Deck, Looking Aft at Instrument Interface 2-7 m Telescope

SOFIA Operations • Science flights will originate from Palmdale California • Aircraft operation by NASA Dryden Research Center from the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility (DAOF) • Science Center is located at NASA Ames Research Center • USRA is responsible for Science Operations on SOFIA • World Wide Deployments • SOFIA will ramp up to ~1000 science hours per year • SOFIA will support the development of new generations of instruments, promising ever increasing capabilities

SOFIA in the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility

FIFI LS First Generation Instrument Complement 14 6/16/2009

Four Completed 1st Generation Instruments HIPO High Speed Photometer (on SOFIA) FLITECAM Near IR Camera (at Lick observatory) FORCASTMid-IR Camera (on SOFIA) GREATHeterodyne spectrometer (on SOFIA) 15

Instruments in development HAWC Bolometer Camera FIFI LS Integral Field Spectrometer EXES Mid- IR Spectrometer 16

Introduction to the Science Center • SOFIA Science Mission Operations (SMO) is the organization responsible for operating SOFIA as a scientifically productive observatory • The SMO is a collaboration between the US and Germany, forming a single organization that has staff from both countries. • From the US, most of the staff come from the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) • The German members are from the Deutsches SOFIA Institut (DSI) at the Universität Stuttgart.

SMO Activities • Science Flight Planning • Operating the telescope • Operation of the scientific instruments • Maintenance of the observatory systems • Conducting the Observing Program • Providing Data to the Scientific Community • Outreach to Science Community • Science Research • Education and Public Outreach

SOFIA Development • Resumption of flight operations and 100% open door test in December 2009. • Envelope expansion flights are complete. Airplane cleared to 14 km, Mach 0.85 • First successful tracking of an astronomical object with the guider telescope May 2010. • The first scientific instrument FORCAST has been delivered to Palmdale and was installed on the airplane on Friday May 2010. • First Light Flight on June 25, 2010

SOFIA Development • Resumption of flight operations and 100% open door test in December 2009. • Envelope expansion flights are complete. Airplane cleared to 14 km, Mach 0.85 • First successful tracking of an astronomical object with the guider telescope May 2010. • The first scientific instrument FORCAST has been delivered to Palmdale and was installed on the airplane on Friday May 2010. • First Light Flight on June 25, 2010 Images taken with 10-inch guider camera mounted on SOFIA telescope. Object is the star Beta Orionis. 4 frames/second.

SOFIA Recent Highlights • Envelope expansion flights are complete. Airplane cleared to 14 km altitude, Mach 0.85 • First Light Flight on June 25, 2010. • Delivery of GREAT instrument in October 2010. • Announcement of Basic Science ResultsNovember 19, 2010. • Initial Science Flight November 29, 2010. • Release of Draft Announcement of Opportunity for 2nd Generation Instruments.

Jupiter Family Portrait Jim DeBuizer, SOFIA Science Center

SOFIA Early Science • Short Science has 3 flights each with FORCAST and GREAT to allow the instrument teams to get on the sky at the earliest possible opportunity. • FORCAST flew in Dec 2010GREAT flies in March 2011 • Basic Science is a series of 15 flights (12 US & 3 German) that will be open to the astronomical community • US time was openly competed via a call for proposals • German time will be distributed by the GREAT consortium and DLR • Begins Spring 2011 • German Science Demonstration Time is three additional flights

Page 28 FORCAST Short Science

3-color images of BNKL region19um, 31um, 37 um N E The left image is with the natural pixel scale of FORCAST, the right is a reconstruction under the assumption that the data is Nyquist sampled.

3-color images of Trapezium region 7um, 19um, 37 um Natural Resolution DMRM Deconvolution N E We have two data pairs with 7/37um and 19/37um taken simultaneously with the dichroic so their relative source locations are well-registered. 37um image was used to bootstrap the offsets between 7 and 19um, but are subject to some changes when new distortion algorithm is finished. On the right only the 19 and 37um images are deconvolved.

Comet Hartley 2 • Supporting NASA/EPOXI mission • Filled in SED at wavelengths otherwise inaccessible • Will address significance of the discovery of large ice chunks in comparison to large dust grains SOFIA image 1’ field EPOXI images

W3 Main Star Forming Region 7.7 microns, PAH 6.6 microns, no PAH

W3 Main Star Forming Region 19.7 microns 37 microns

Technical Results from First Science • Image Stability was very good. Allowed near diffraction limited imaging at 37 microns. FWHM images ~3 arcsec • Image stability was ~1.2 arcsec RMS • Infrared Sensitivity is what was expected.

SOFIA Early Science • Short Science has 3 flights each with FORCAST and GREAT to allow the instrument teams to get on the sky at the earliest possible opportunity. • FORCAST flew in Dec 2010GREAT flies in March 2011 • Basic Science is a series of 15 flights (12 US & 3 German) that will be open to the astronomical community • US time was openly competed via a call for proposals • German time will be distributed by the GREAT consortium and DLR • Begins Spring 2011 • German Science Demonstration Time is three additional flights

Example FORCAST Science 81-0013 Johnathan Tan Peering to the Heart of Massive Star Birth The program consists of FORCAST imaging of massive protostars at 11, 19, 24, 31 and 37 microns. They will examine how the MIR SED varies along the outflow axes, and they will compare these observations to detailed radiative transfer calculations of massive protostars G35.20-0.74 observed at 18 micron with TRECS with 15 GHz contours overlaid. Note dust emission is only detected on near side because of extinction.

Example GREAT Science 81-0014 David Neufeld Search for interstellar mercapto radicals (SH) with SOFIA The plan is to observe the 1.383 THz (ground-state) transition of SH toward six bright submillimeter continuum sources - Sgr B2 (M), W49N, W51, G34.3+0.1, G29.96-0.02 and G10.6-0.4 (W31C) Complements previous studies of H2S and SH+, which indicate that the abundances of sulfur-bearing hydrides are much greater than the predictions of standard chemical models. S+ + H2 SH+ + H – 0.85 eV S + H2 SH + H – 0.83 eV SH+ + H2 􀀂H2S++ H – 0.65 eV

The Formation of Stars and Planets • SOFIA’s high spectral resolving power is key to understanding the disks and the material in the disks that form planets. Modified from van Boekel 2007) 41

The Lifecycle of the Interstellar Medium [CII] at 158 m is the most powerful spectroscopic thread for probing the ionized/neutral components of the ISM. [N II] at 205 m can provide sensitive/detailed maps of star formation rates in the Galaxy HD at 112 m provides a way of directly locating the places where the matter is located SOFIA Provides access to all these key tracers of the Interstellar Medium

Occultation astronomy with SOFIA SOFIA will determine the properties of Dwarf Planets in and beyond the Kuiper Belt Pluto occultation lightcurve observed on the KAO (1988) probes the atmosphere • SOFIA can fly anywhere on the Earth, allowing it to position itself under the shadow of an occulting object. • Occultation studies with SOFIA will probe the sizes, atmospheres, and possible satellites of newly discovered planet-like objects in the outer Solar system. • The unique mobility of SOFIA opens up some hundred events per year for study compared to a handful for fixed observatories.

Upcoming Events of Note • Announcement of Opportunity for 2nd Generation Instruments • The Draft Announcement of Opportunity was released last year for public comment • Comment period is now closed and NASA HQ is finalizing the AO • Expect release later this year with anticipated funding in 2012. • Call for Observing Proposals • Probable release in October 2011 • Instruments expected: • FORCAST – including GRISMS • GREAT • HIPO • FLITECAM

A Busy 2011 • April 2011 GREAT Early Science Flights • May 2011 FORCAST Basic Science Flights • June 2011 Observatory Engineering Flights • July 2011 GREAT Basic Science • Aug 2011 Upgrades to Airplane Systems • Sept 2011 Deployment to Cologne Air Show • Oct 2011 Call for Proposals

http://www.sofia.usra.edu

SOFIA: Progress and Initial Science Flights