Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors Program (AAA) SOFIA was designed from the beginning to support a robust public education and outreach effort that can, during the planned 20-year mission lifetime, directly involve more than a thousand educators of all types — K-12 teachers, science museum and planetarium educators, and public outreach specialists — as partners with the scientist, and reach hundreds of thousands of people across the nation through these educators. The "SOFIA Six" were the first set of educators selected in the United States to participate in SOFIA's AAA "Pilot" program, and flew during the summer of 2011. Germany has a separate application process, but also flew two teachers that summer. Educator teams plus alternates were selected in a highly competitive application process. NASA and DLR (German Space Agency) selected educators who came from a variety of backgrounds, and their institutions included a school for the deaf, an alternative education site (developmentally challenged), highly underserved student populations, rural schools, and a Native American school. Since the "Pilot" cycle the AAA program has flown over 20 teams and was now in its Cycle 5 phase. Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols flew aboard SOFIA on September 17, 2015. See also List of largest infrared telescopes Kuiper Airborne Observatory Infrared astronomy Far infrared astronomy References External links SOFIA Science Center, USRA & DSI SOFIA mission, NASA SOFIA Mission Profile by Solar System Exploration at NASA DLR's SOFIA Website Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at University of Chicago SOFIA: Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy, Moonfest 2009 by NASA Multimedia SOFIA Photo Collection, Dryden Flight Research Center SOFIA Movie Collection, Dryden Flight Research Center Astronomy in New Zealand Airborne observatories Boeing 747 Infrared telescopes NASA programs NASA aircraft Articles containing video clips Individual aircraft