KAO

A graphic image that represents the KAO mission

Full Name: Kuiper Airborne Observatory

Phase: Past

Launch Date: May 21, 1975

Mission Project Home Page: http://quest.nasa.gov/lfs/aboutKAO.html

For over twenty years, the KAO was operated as the world's only airborne telescope devoted exclusively to astronomical research. A converted C-141 military cargo plane carrying a 36-inch reflecting telescope, the KAO was the scene of many major discoveries , including the first sightings of the rings of Uranus and a definitive identification of an atmosphere on Pluto. Named after astronomer Gerard P. Kuiper, the KAO ended its long service to astronomy in October, 1995, so that work could begin on its successor, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).