Click on the images on the left to see a short JPEG slide show of images from NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO). The images are in JPEG format to take advantage of the new "Progressive JPEG" file format in Netscape 2.0, this new format is supposed to be 3 times as fast as GIF images. The images themselves are provided courtesy of NASA. Below is more information on the Kuiper Airborne Observatory.

NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) is the world's only airborne astronomical research facility. This unique observatory allows astronomical observations from anywhere on Earth with freedom from cloud cover and water vapor attenuation.

The KAO, based at NASA/Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California is a converted C-141 military cargo plane carrying a 36-inch reflecting telescope. Since beginning operation, the KAO has been the scene of several major discoveries, including the first sightings of the rings of Uranus and a definitive identification of an atmosphere on Pluto.