NASA to speak about 'exciting new' moon discovery on 26 October: Here's how to listen

NASA has now teased an upcoming teleconference to share results from its Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (Sofia). According to a statement by NASA, “This new discovery contributes to NASA’s efforts to learn about the Moon in support of deep space exploration.” As per the statement, under NASA’s Artemis program, the agency will send the first woman and the next man to the lunar surface in 2024 to prepare for human exploration of Mars as early as the 2030s. According to them, understanding Moon will also help them piece together the broader history of the solar system. [caption id=“attachment_8945411” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] SOFIA soars over the snow-covered Sierra Nevada mountains with its telescope door open during a test flight. SOFIA is a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft. Image Credits: NASA/Jim Ross[/caption] While NASA has not revealed any further details, those interested can tune in for a media teleconference at 12 pm EDT Monday, 26 October  here. The briefing will include Paul Hertz, who is the Astrophysics division director at NASA, Jacob Bleacher, Casey Honniball, a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and the project scientist for Sofia mission, Naseem Rangwala. The NASA statement adds that as the world’s largest airborne observatory, Sofia is a modified 747 that flies high in the atmosphere to provide its approximately 9-foot-long telescope with a clear view of the universe and objects that are present in the solar system. As per the statement, Sofia flies above 99 percent of the atmosphere’s water vapour and uses infrared wavelengths to detect phenomena that is impossible to see with visible light.