Building on SOFIA’s legacy, open questions in Galactic Ecosystems

The interstellar medium (ISM) emits a tremendous amount of radiation in the infrared (3 to 500 microns) that represents the majority of the light emitted by a galaxy. The Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) covered this entire wavelength range with 5 instruments including spectrometers, imagers and polarimeters. The Astro2020 Decadal survey recognizes the importance of the far-infrared (far-IR) recommending future missions. In this talk I will review highlights of SOFIA’s legacy in Galactic Ecosystems which includes ISM, and star formation. Moreover, I will outline the many remaining open questions left for future missions and how they relate to the decadal survey’s questions.