SOFIA Offers New Way to Study Earth's Atmosphere News provided by Share this article Share this article COLUMBIA, Md., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, directly measured atomic oxygen in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere, offering a new way to study one of the least understood regions of Earth's upper atmosphere. SOFIA, a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center, DLR, has been used extensively to look at many objects in the universe, from black holes to galaxies and even the Moon. A decade ago, German researcher Heinz Hübers led a team to improve one of SOFIA's infrared instruments – the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies, or GREAT – with a new laser technology. He realized that the upgrade would not only help to study the distant cosmos, it could also be used much, much closer to home.