Airborne infrared astronomy. Alan Meyer (left) and Roger Hildebrand seen during a flight of the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO). The screen displays show the image made by the alignment telescope (left) and the infrared telescope (right). The KAO is a converted Lockheed C-141A Starlifter aircraft, containing a 90-cm infrared telescope. Flying at up to 12,500 meters, the KAO can cruise well above most of the atmospheric water vapor,, which absorbs far-infrared radiation. The KAO also contains computerized data reduction and analysis stations. Operated by NASA, the first flight of the KAO was in January [1992] NASA AMES Research Center at Moffett Field, Mountain View, California. Infrared telescope looking at gas clouds. [1992]