Medford, Ore. -- Two astronomers from Southern Oregon will take the flight of their dreams to study the inner workings of outer space. <\/p>\n
North Medford astronomy teacher, Robert Black and Southern Oregon Skywatchers amature astronomer, Dave Bloomsness were two of 24 chosen to fly aboard NASA's SOFIA - Stratospheric Observatory Infrared Astronomy. A highly modified Boeing 747sp. <\/p>\n
The pair went through a rigorous selection process which included multiple weeks of advanced astronomy courses. <\/p>\n
\"It's like a NASCAR fan getting to race in the Indy500.\" said Bloomsness who has spent more than five-hundred hours volunteering at North Medford High School's Astronomy Department. <\/p>\n
\"The most important thing about this for me is for my friend Dave. He has been so selfless. I'm really happy to be able to kinda give back to Dave- He loves telescopes\" said Black about his friend who he chose to tag along on the trip. <\/p>\n
A total of twelve teams were selected and made up of both armature and professional astronomers. <\/p>\n
The Southern Oregon team flies out from NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, California next week- spending two nights in the sky. They'll be observing and analyzing the most obscure objects using the on-board infrared lens. <\/p>\n
Click the link below to follow their journey! <\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/2guysflynasasofia\/<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Go here to read the rest:<\/p>\n Southern Oregon astronomers fly with NASA<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Medford, Ore. -- Two astronomers from Southern Oregon will take the flight of their dreams to study the inner workings of outer space Continue reading