NASA Cuts 8-Foot Hole In a 747, Bolts In Huge Telescope

Can you tear an eight-foot hole in the side of a 747 jet and have it fly not only safely but in a stable way? This isn't a terrorism-related quiz--it's a real problem that NASA tackled with its flying telescope project. The answer is a big "yes."

The telescope is a 17-ton monster called the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) designed to make high-resolution infrared imagery of space objects, and its installation in a modified 30 year-old 747 is the culmination of a...