Dr. Robin Shelton will be hosting Dr. B.G. Andersson of the NASA Ames Research Center this week. His talk is entitled "The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Status and Science overview."

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is now in its final development phase. The airplane is flying, the telescope assembly has been operated in flight, instruments are ready to go. First light observing and the first open call for proposals will both occur this winter. A revised Science Vision for SOFIA has been generated showing that the observatory will provide an important complement to the Herschel and JWST missions and as a platform for technology development. I will discuss the status of the observatory and highlight selected parts of the SOFIA Science Vision.