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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,[1] callsign: NASA 714[1]) 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).

KAO
The KAO in flight.
Other name(s)	Kuiper Airborne Observatory Gerard P. Kuiper Airborne Observatory
Type	Lockheed C-141A Starlifter
Manufacturer	NASA
Construction number	6110[1]
Registration	N714NA
Serial	NASA 714
Owners and operators	NASA
In service	1974 – 1995
Preserved at	Moffett Field[2]
Role	Airborne observatory Type of aircraft
Status	Retired
Developed from	Lockheed C-141 Starlifter

Kuiper Airborne Observatory

The telescope for KAO
Alternative names	N714NA
Named after	Gerard Kuiper
Organization	NASA
Location	United States
Coordinates	37.4214649°N 122.047412°W / 37.4214649; -122.047412
Location of Kuiper Airborne Observatory
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Aircraft

The KAO was based at the Ames Research Center, NAS 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.[3]

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[4]), the KAO wasn't dedicated until May 21, 1975.[5] The KAO flew at altitudes of 41,000 to 45,000 feet, and flew a total of 1,417 times.[5]

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.[5] 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.[5]

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.[5]

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 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.[6] No quartz or olivine in Mercury's surface rocks was detected.[6]

Peering still deeper into space, KAO astronomers studied powerful far-infrared emissions from the center of our galaxy 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 is viewable at Moffett Field, although it is no longer airworthy.[2] 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[7] and its telescope saw first light on May 26, 2010.[8] Initial "routine" science observation flights began in December 2010[9] and the observatory is at full capability with about 100 flights per year.[10][11] SOFIA was recently retired, with its last flight on September 30, 2022.

See also

• Gerard Kuiper
• Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)
• Infrared astronomy

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

На других языках

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[de] Kuiper Airborne Observatory

Das Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) war ein nach Gerard Peter Kuiper benanntes Cassegrain-Teleskop mit 91,5 Zentimeter Spiegeldurchmesser, welches in einem umgebauten Militärtransporter vom Typ Lockheed C-141A untergebracht war. Es wurde von 1974 bis 1995 von der NASA hauptsächlich für die Infrarotastronomie eingesetzt.[1] Mit dem KAO wurden unter anderem am 10. März 1977 bei der Bedeckung des Sterns SAO 158687 durch den Planeten Uranus die Uranusringe entdeckt.[2]

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- [en] Kuiper Airborne Observatory

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[es] Kuiper Airborne Observatory

El Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO), en español Observatorio Aerotransportado Kuiper, fue una instalación dirigida por la NASA para realizar investigaciones en astronomía en la franja del infrarrojo. La plataforma para las observaciones era un avión de transporte C-141 muy modificado, con una autonomía de unos 10 000 km y que alcanzaba una altitud de vuelo para las investigaciones de hasta 45 000 pies (14 km). Se le dio el nombre en honor al astrónomo Gerard Kuiper.

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[ru] Воздушная обсерватория имени Койпера

Воздушная обсерватория имени Койпера (англ. Kuiper Airborne Observatory, сокращенно КАО) — воздушная обсерватория, работавшая в рамках проекта НАСА по исследованию космоса в диапазоне инфракрасного излучения. Это была летающая лаборатория на основе реактивного самолёта С-141, с увеличенной дальностью полёта до 11 000 км, и максимальной высотой полёта 14 км. Она начала работать в 1974 году и была выведена из эксплуатации в 1995 году.

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