Attractions

The Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) on the first test flight where the telescope hatch was fully opened; this was conducted on 18 December 2009 over the Californian Mojave Desert. The 2.7-metre telescope, built in Germany, is visible through the opening in the fuselage of this Boeing 747SP.

Quelle: NASA/C. Thomas

SOFIA – the airborne observatory

SOFIA, the airborne observatory, will also be on display at the airport on German Aerospace Day. In a joint project, DLR and NASA installed a 2.7 metre telescope in a converted Boeing 747SP – to observe the cosmos in the infrared. SOFIA entered service fairly recently. SOFIA helps us to observe the cosmos more effectively, and this in turn helps basic research in many fields. The focus and objective of this scientific undertaking is to research the evolution of systems both within and outside the Milky Way and to examine the origin and growth of stars and star systems from interstellar clouds of molecules and dust.

Test flight of the A380, which is powered by four Engine Alliance GP7200s.

Bild: Airbus S.A.S. 2006.

The Airbus A380 – a guest in Cologne

A special highlight of German Aerospace Day is a visit by the Airbus A380. It will be on static display in the German Air Force compound. Visitors will even be able to board the aircraft to take a look around.

The first Airbus A380 entered service with Singapore Airlines on 15 October 2007. The Airbus A380 is the most modern, largest and most spacious aircraft flying on scheduled services at the present time. This twin-deck high-capacity jet was developed in close cooperation with leading airlines, airports and civil aviation authorities. Significant progress was made with regards to aerodynamics, control and aircraft systems and in the use of lightweight composite materials intended to enhance performance and efficiency.

One of the pictures in the exhibition ‘Wunderkammer Wissenschaft’; it shows the Martian volcano Olympus Mons, which is 24 kilometres in height and the largest volcano in the Solar System. The data for this mosaic image with colour-coded elevation information was acquired by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board Mars Express.

Travelling exhibition: ‘Wunderkammer Wissenschaft’

The ‘Wunderkammer Wissenschaft’, or the cabinet of scientific curiosities, a travelling exhibition arranged by the Helmholtz Association invites visitors into the fascinating world of science with around 500 acoustically accompanied moving images. Spectacular science images normally only available to Helmholtz employees will be displayed: micrographs, satellite images, computer animations, X-ray pictures as well as studio portraits of scientific objects and appliances. Through images displayed in endless-loop videos on large screens, the exhibition provides insights into exciting Helmholtz research topics and the work of the 16 Helmholtz research centres. With the science images, the exhibition hopes to show the initial motivation for research work – amazement at the wonders of our world, the inquiring mind and questioning how things came into being, how they develop and their future. The complete absence of explanations is deliberate. In a time when the pace of everyday life is hectic, this exhibition invites visitors to slow down and relax, rewarding them with a unique visual experience. ‘Wunderkammer Wissenschaft’ is a travelling exhibition focusing on aesthetics, aimed primarily at an adult audience. The exhibition was presented in September 2009 at the German Museum of Technology in Berlin (Deutsches Technikmuseum) and will be touring Germany for the next three years.

This small and original exhibition was developed with support from the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, from whose archives the photographs originate.

Bild: CD Werbeagentur GmbH

Exhibition: ‘Yuri Gagarin: the first human in space’

On 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to fly to space. With an unusual photograph exhibition, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is honouring Yuri Gagarin in a different way; astronaut helmets arranged on eight small one-metre high pillars that can be lifted off, each containing a display documenting a part of Gagarin’s life in pictures, from his youth, through to his cosmonaut training course, his return to Earth and photographs from his private life, including his family.

This small exhibition was developed with support from the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, from whose archives the photographs are drawn. The exhibition presents a multi-faceted picture of this exceptional man, of whom Chief Designer Sergei Korolyov prophesied, even prior to Gagarin’s highly successful university study, that he had what it took to ‘make it big’ in spaceflight.

A training flight by the intelligent, charming space pioneer dashed this hope; on 27 March 1968 Yuri Gagarin was involved in a fatal airplane crash. He was just 34 years old at the time.