![SOFIA Telescope on X: "SOFIA's #telescope: 2.5 m. Kuiper Airborne Observatory, 1974: .9m; Lear Jet,1966: .3m http://t.co/RnqnpNK6pi #tbt http://t.co/lPIRUeB2Ob" / X SOFIA Telescope on X: "SOFIA's #telescope: 2.5 m. Kuiper Airborne Observatory, 1974: .9m; Lear Jet,1966: .3m http://t.co/RnqnpNK6pi #tbt http://t.co/lPIRUeB2Ob" / X](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8iGGAOCEAEElMa.png)
SOFIA Telescope on X: "SOFIA's #telescope: 2.5 m. Kuiper Airborne Observatory, 1974: .9m; Lear Jet,1966: .3m http://t.co/RnqnpNK6pi #tbt http://t.co/lPIRUeB2Ob" / X
![NASA's costly SOFIA telescope has reached its end. But its legacy lives on - Interesting Engineering NASA's costly SOFIA telescope has reached its end. But its legacy lives on - Interesting Engineering](https://images.interestingengineering.com/img/iea/Ne6N5Y5vG5/nasa-sofia-telescope-retired.jpg)
NASA's costly SOFIA telescope has reached its end. But its legacy lives on - Interesting Engineering
![26 January 2021, Hamburg: Behind the open hatch, the reflecting telescope of the flying stratospheric observatory "SOFIA" can be seen inside a converted Boeing 747 during final checks at Lufthansa Technik. The 26 January 2021, Hamburg: Behind the open hatch, the reflecting telescope of the flying stratospheric observatory "SOFIA" can be seen inside a converted Boeing 747 during final checks at Lufthansa Technik. The](https://c8.alamy.com/zooms/6/db5fcd1f104844779b4514c5314fd2ae/2e92c3h.jpg)