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The time is 5:30pm on 8 September 2022 and I'm in the mission briefing room at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, California. I'm about to board a very special aircraft: the Boeing 747 SOFIA aeroplane, carrying a 2.5-metre infrared telescope operated by NASA and DLR, Germany's space agency. It is one of SOFIA'S last flights; by the time you read this the programme will have ended.
Inside, the cabin is buzzing with activity. It's extremely loud, so headsets are essential for communication. I tune in to the flight deck comms channel and hear pilots Spike and Bill, and flight engineer Rick. Spike's the joker and the three enjoy a few laughs together as they wait for clearance. It's Spike and Bill's final SOFIA flight. They've been flying together for 24 years, having begun their professional relationship in the US Air Force.
The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) was a long time coming, with development