Hamburg: Lufthansa is waiting for Boeing 747SP "SOFIA"

Boeing 747SP
Boeing 747SP "SOFIA" (Photo: Jan Gruber).

Hamburg: Lufthansa is waiting for Boeing 747SP "SOFIA"

Boeing 747SP "SOFIA" (Photo: Jan Gruber).
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A unique guest arrived at Hamburg Airport on September 30, 2020 for maintenance purposes: the Boeing 747SP "Sofia". It is the stratospheric observatory for infrared astronomy, which NASA and DLR operate jointly. Lufthansa Technik carries out a C-Check.

“We look forward to working with Lufthansa Technik again,” explains Heinz Hammes, SOFIA project manager in DLR space management. “The special circumstances this year require special cooperation and flexibility from everyone involved. We are convinced that we are in the right place for the tasks at hand. "

New air conditioning for the research instruments

In the case of SOFIA, the aircraft is repaired according to the regulations of NASA, which also defined the exact work packages for this layover time. During the C-Check, extensive checks are carried out on the aircraft structure and necessary repairs are carried out. For this purpose, among other things, the engines and the cabin including their cladding and floors are dismantled so that all cabling and lines can be checked during the test and maintenance work.

In addition, the aircraft's air conditioning system will be upgraded. “This will enable us to adjust the temperature in the cabin particularly precisely in the future,” explains Hammes. "This is particularly important in the instrument zone, because every research instrument needs an exactly matching ambient temperature."

The final checks at Lufthansa Technik - for the engines and the internal pressure of the cabin, for example - are planned for mid-December. The maintenance work should be completed at the beginning of February so that scientific operations with SOFIA can be resumed.

University of Stuttgart carries out the maintenance of the telescope

The telescope on board SOFIA, the German contribution and the heart of the flying observatory, will also be thoroughly overhauled during the stay at Lufthansa Technik. This work is carried out exclusively by the employees of the German SOFIA Institute (DSI) at the University of Stuttgart, who are very familiar with this worldwide unique system.

“During this extensive maintenance, we pay particular attention to the work that, due to its complexity, is only carried out every three or six years,” says Michael Hütwohl from DSI, who is responsible for the telescope at SOFIA. “But also a large number of smaller jobs, from an inspection of the 2,7-meter primary mirror to software updates for the electronic telescope systems, are on the program”.

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