The NASA-DLR Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy 747SP. Photo Credit NASA / Carla Thomas

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. – Two local teachers are among 24 educators selected to fly on NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), the world’s largest flying telescope.

Nathan Mahoney, Pine Crest School, Deerfield Beach, Fla., and Héllen Tavora, South Florida Amateur Astronomers Association and Fox Astronomical Observatory, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will fly on board SOFIA during the week of March 24-28, 2014.

The observatory flies from its home base in Palmdale, Calif., and the educators will work side-by-side with astronomer teams witnessing all stages of scientific research, from preparations to observations to data analysis and publication. They will normally fly aboard the observatory twice, and then implement classroom lessons and public outreach programs based on their experiences.

SOFIA’s Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors program began in 2010 and has flown 26 educators from 14 U.S. states and eight from Germany on science flights in 2010-2012.

SOFIA is an extensively modified Boeing 747SP jetliner equipped with a 100-inch (2.5 meter) diameter telescope. The observatory enables the analysis of infrared light to study the formation of stars and planets; chemistry of interstellar gases; composition of comets, asteroids and planets; and supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies.

To schedule an interview, contact: Nicholas A. Veronico • 650/224-8726 cell SOFIA Science Center Public Affairs Officernveronico@sofia.usra.edu

For more information about SOFIA, visit:www.nasa.gov/sofia

For information about SOFIA's science mission, visit:www.sofia.usra.edu

High Resolution SOFIA images are located here:www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/SOFIA/multimedia

SOFIA fact sheets and high-definition b-roll can be downloaded from our Resources for Journalists page, here:www.sofia.usra.edu/News/media/index.html