Passing of Abe Cheng, Member of USRA's SOFIA team

Columbia, MD—February 17, 2021.  It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of our friend and colleague, Dr. Abe Cheng, of Universities Space Research Association. Abe passed away on Sunday, February 14, while he was on business supporting the deployment of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) in Cologne, Germany.

Abe had been a valued member of the SOFIA team since the past six years and will be missed. He served as a Senior Engineer, Computer Sciences, and held a Ph.D. in Geophysics and Space Physics from UCLA. The SOFIA flight scheduled for Tuesday, February 16, was cancelled, but flights will resume on Wednesday February 17. One of the flights will be renamed in honor of Abe.

He is survived by two grown children, Chloe and Connor. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family during this time.

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