All language subtitles for Mighty.Planes.S02E05.SOFIA.747SP.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-BurCyg_track3_[eng]

NARRATOR: She's
unlike any other 747

on Earth, a flying
telescope and space

observatory named SOFIA.

Everybody kind of
calls us the vampire.

We only come out at night.

NARRATOR: Her job-- to peer
into corners of the universe

never before seen by man.

We can go places and see
things that other telescopes

can't do.

NARRATOR: But
SOFIA is grounded,

and the pressure's on to
get her back to work, fast.

You could actually
crash the airplane.

The stakes could be deadly.

It might be some small
little thing that kills you.

NARRATOR: On a
mission this precise,

there is no margin for error.

[theme music]

This is Plant 42 of
the Mojave Desert.

It's a top secret military
airfield on the outskirts

of Palmdale, California.

Highly classified aircraft,
like the U-2 spy plane

and the SR-71 Blackbird
were all tested

here in the '60s and '70s.

In 2002, another unique
project was in the works.

Behind closed hangar doors,
an infrared telescope

was carefully unveiled.

In an amazing feat
of engineering,

the telescope was
installed into a 747,

creating what is
currently the world's

only flying observatory,
also run out of plant 42.

It's one of a
kind asset for NASA.

There's not another one
like it in the world.

NARRATOR: It's called
the Stratospheric

Observatory For Infrared
Astronomy, SOFIA for short.

While on the outside, she
looks like a normal 747.

On the inside, SOFIA
is one of a kind.

She is operated jointly by
the American and German

space agencies.

We've changed everything.

It's not your father's and
grandfather's 747 anymore.

NARRATOR: Her job is to ferry
scientists into the night sky

and look into space, like
no other telescope can.

Flying as high as 45,000
feet, she offers astronomers

a clean line of sight well
above clouds and weather,

which block infrared light.

In 2011, Pluto
eclipsed a distant star

and, for a few minutes, cast a
shadow over the Pacific Ocean.

SOFIA was the only
observatory in the world

able to reach the remote
location and study the event.

We ended up hitting the
center of the shadow of Pluto

within 100 kilometers which is
not too shabby for something

that far away.

NARRATOR: The mission
allowed astronomers

a chance to study
Pluto's atmosphere

without having to leave Earth.

The Pluto Project proved SOFIA
to be a vital tool in helping

to unlock the secrets
of how our solar system

and cosmos were formed.

But shortly after
this triumph, SOFIA

was grounded for a major
upgrade of her avionics

and telescope control systems.

It's a complicated job, now
four months behind schedule.

Her scientists are frustrated.

The delays that
we've been experiencing

are really very bad
for the project.

There are science
missions that are

probably not going to occur.

NARRATOR: Crew
Chief Steve Robinson

will be giving the go-ahead
for SOFIA to fly again,

but only after her
dated 35-year-old analog

instruments are replaced
with new digital ones.

Take all the gauges out, all
the wiring out of the cockpit,

rewire it, put all
new instruments in.

It's been quite
the undertaking.

NARRATOR: All this advanced
technology can be quite heavy.

The telescope itself
weighs in the neighborhood

of 20 metric tons.

We have miles and
miles of wiring.

The door that opens for
the telescope to see out,

that weighs 2,500
pounds by itself.

NARRATOR: The time has
come to see if SOFIA is

now too heavy to fly safely.

Aircraft scales are
moved into position.

Getting SOFIA's exact
weight and balance is vital.

If you don't have the
center of gravity just right,

it will not fly
right in the air.

NARRATOR: It's the
moment of truth.

This one right now is
reading 11,920 some odd pounds.

NARRATOR: Sophia's weight and
balance is within the limits

for safe flight.

The pressure is on
to finish the upgrade

and get SOFIA airborne,
but cutting corners

isn't an option.

From the
scientific community,

all the way down through
the program office,

through my immediate
bosses, they're

all you pushing, get it done.

Get it done.

But we will not do anything
that will compromise

the safety of the airplane.

NARRATOR: The next
step is a full test

flight to see if
SOFIA's new instruments

are working properly.

He's been doing
a good job of it.

NARRATOR: Chief
Pilot Troy Asher

gets a look at his new
cockpit for the first time.

Steering bar is
following real nice.

Yeah, OK.

NARRATOR: Troy's main concern
is getting the autopilot

to make very small
turns in-flight to keep

the telescope stable.

If I want to just do
very, very small headings,

like 1 or 2 degrees,
we just want

it to just really not turn.

That, we can probably fix.

OK.

Because we have that big
telescope in the back,

it needs to be as
stable as possible.

Most airplanes
don't really care

about how much they roll when
you make a heading change,

but we do.

Because when the
airplane rolls,

it moves the whole
telescope in space.

So they want to keep
that rolling motion

down to as small as possible.

What are you
getting roll there?

Are you showing zero
on your side exactly?

Are they close?

I get about a half a degree
of yolk displacement.

I think we can
cut that in half.

My impression of the new
avionics suite right now,

I'm liking it more
and more all the time.

We're out of here.

All right, guys,
we'll see you--

Well, good.
Thank you very much.

We'll see you guys soon.

NARRATOR: The Boeing
747 was the world's

first jumbo jet airliner.

With an upper and lower
deck, it was designed

to carry over 400 passengers.

Sophia is a 747 SP or special
performance version, with

greater range and endurance.

It was built to fly from Los
Angeles to Sydney, Australia,

or Los Angeles to Tokyo
back in the '70s, when

not a lot of airplanes
could do that very well.

NARRATOR: Designed for
long distance flying,

SOFIA's SP model is shorter and
lighter than an ordinary 747.

It measures 177 feet
in length and stands

more than 65 high with
an impressive wingspan

of 196 feet.

Out on the ramp,
the ground crew

puts Sophia through a
series of engine tests.

It has been a year
since her for Pratt

and Whitney turbofan
engines have been fired up.

There's over 30
power switches for.

Four are on.

NARRATOR: Crew
Chief Steve Robinson

directs the operation from
the flight engineer's seat.

Yes, we're going to do
some maintenance engine

runs over on the NASA ramp.

NARRATOR: Aviation
mechanic Pat Vantelin

is the eyes on the ground
for the crew in the cockpit.

They can't see
dangerous fuel leaks

that could cause engine fires.

We're going to do leak
checks on all of the engines.

We bring fire
extinguishers out here,

and we do have
those on standby,

as we're starting the engines.

NARRATOR: Steve runs through
the engine start checklist.

You got a good rotation.

Start valve open.

I have in two.

I have oil pressure.

OK, we're at max motor.

Give me fuel.

The fuel flow, EGT rising.

NARRATOR: A rising EGT or
exhaust gas temperature

shows the engine has started
and is functioning properly.

OK, you're clear on fourth.

Clear on fourth.

The fuel flow, I
have CST pressure.

No leaks.

Everything's working
as advertised.

NARRATOR: Despite a year
of sitting inactive,

SOFIA's engines
performed perfectly.

Yes, NASA 747
heavy is advising

termination of engine runs.

To get through this
first step of engine run

is just such a relief.

It is so important.

It's one of the huge
major milestones

to get ready to go fly.

NARRATOR: With the
engine tests over,

SOFIA is now ready for
her avionics test flight,

when anything and
everything could go wrong.

You never really know
what's going to happen.

You could actually
crash the airplane.

You could put the
airplane into a situation

that you didn't expect.

It could flip upside
down, for instance,

or you could get a large
bank angle or a large G-Force

or something like that,
and you want to minimize

the risk to humans on there.

NARRATOR: Troy briefs the
flight and ground crew.

Nothing is left to chance.

On schedule, we
take off on time.

We got about an hour,
late takeoff capability.

NARRATOR: Steve Robinson
has the final word on

whether SOFIA is ready to fly.

So nothing's stopping
us, as far as you know.

As far as I know,
nothing is stopping.

We should be good to go today.

OK.

NARRATOR: Flight
Engineer Tim Sanden

conducts a pre-flight
inspection to spot

any final potential problems.

Planes do very well
when they fly every day.

They don't do very
well when they sit.

We check the general
condition of the tires,

make sure that there are no
cuts or abrasions, nothing

in the tire, check the
struts for proper extension,

check and make sure
that all hardware

is secure anywhere that we
can see it in the wheel.

All right, the
around is complete.

No discrepancies.

Happy with the condition
of the airplane

after a year of maintenance.

Looking forward to
today's first flight.

NARRATOR: At the last moment,
Chief Pilot Troy Asher

is concerned that
his long awaited test

flight is in trouble.

Weather's not
looking so good.

I was just looking at the--

the computer systems all
say the weather is OK.

But when you come outside,
it doesn't necessarily agree.

And I'm not really
liking what I see

right now, so I don't know.

Earlier, we agreed
that we were going

to have a certain
weather condition,

and we don't have it.

We'll see.

We'll see.

We might have to
delay a little bit.

NARRATOR: It's a high risk test
flight with lives on the line.

The weather must be perfect, or
the mission will be scrubbed.

SOFIA, the world's
only flying observatory

is ready for takeoff on a
long delayed test flight.

NASA is desperate
to get their flying

telescope back in operation
after a year-long upgrade.

Crew Chief Steve Robinson
officially turned SOFIA over

to Chief Pilot Troy Asher.

I'm releasing the
airplane for flight.

It's ready to go fly.

And I'm certifying all
our maintenance is good,

and the airplane is in
good condition for the boss

to take it for this flight.

There's a lot
of paperwork that

goes along with these,
especially after an airplane's

been modified.

It's been sitting on the
ground for about a year.

And these big machines,
like this, the more you

fly them, the better they fly.

And if you don't fly them at
all, they don't fly very well.

Good day, Steve.

Looks real good.

All the paperwork
is signed off.

And so, we're just
waiting for the clouds.

NARRATOR: After months
of technical delays,

the latest comes
from mother nature.

This weather is not going to
get any better today, probably

not until next week, maybe.

NARRATOR: Safety is paramount,
and the weather for the test

flight needs to be perfect.

The operation is canceled.

The problem is,
for this flight,

we just ripped out
all of the instruments

out of the front
of the cockpit.

The pilots use those flight
instruments and navigation

instruments to get
through the clouds

to find the airport to land.

We don't even know if
they're going to work.

And if all of that new--

all those new
instruments completely

fail, and we're in the weather,
we could lose the airplane.

But we're just going to be
a weather cancel for today.

OK.

Go ahead and tow the plane back
in, and get ready for Monday.

Hopefully, Monday.

Hopefully.

NARRATOR: It's going to be
at least three or four days

before the weather clears.

The delay allows the crew to
do some finishing touches.

One task is to recondition
the latches on her nosecone.

There's a little
bit too much force

required to close
these when we put

the radome on the airplane.

Just need a lot of
people to hold it up there

and get it into position.

That's probably
the hardest part.

NARRATOR: It's a
delicate job that

requires finesse,
patience, and, in the end,

a little bit of muscle.

Good.

Once we're latched,
we're all done.

We're good to go.

She's on.

They're good.

NARRATOR: On the 747's main
deck, the panels are off,

and the maintenance team
wires the new telescope

control system.

We're trying to
get ready for flight.

We're really, really trying
to prepare for flight.

We're a little bit
behind schedule,

as far as that's concerned.

But you know, we're making--

do the best we can.

NARRATOR: Ted needs to
use his own judgment.

The drawings aren't
always right.

This wire right here was
originally supposed to come up

here from the top down
to here, but it somehow

got overlooked, so we had
to red line the drawings

and bring this
wire from up here,

down through here in red lining
to go through this connector

so that it can come to here
and still function properly.

Just one missed pin
or misplaced wire

or even overlooked
wire can cause things

not to function properly.

NARRATOR: Putting a 34,000
pounds telescope into the 747

meant cutting a large
hole in the fuselage.

In-flight, a purpose built
observatory door opens

up to expose the telescope.

Behind the science
cabin, a bulkhead

maintains air
pressure and protects

the scientists from the
open telescope cavity.

Four days have passed.

Skies are clear over
Central California.

It's game on for SOFIA's
five-hour avionics

test flight.

Plagued by delays,
this flight has

been 12 months in the making.

So I got up this morning
with rain all over my house

and my car in my head.

But by the time we got
in, it cleared out,

and we got a nice
beautiful blue skies.

So it looks like we're a go.

NARRATOR: The crew starts
their pre-flight checks.

At nearby Edwards
Air Force Base,

Pilot Nils Larsson gets
ready to fly an F-18 chase

plane right beside the 747.

With all the new
instrumentation

in SOFIA's cockpit,
he'll be checking

the accuracy of her readouts
by comparing them to his own.

I'm going to
make sure that all

my readings are the same as
their readings in the cockpit.

So when they call
for a call out,

I'll give them my airspeed, my
altitude, my mark and heading.

So they can compare it with
their cockpit to make sure

that their instruments,
since they're

brand new and brand
new installed,

are reading the same as mine.

NARRATOR: Nils taxis into
position for takeoff.

And in minutes, we'll meet
up with SOFIA at Palmdale.

[radio chatter]

For takeoff, your discretion.

30 seconds.

NARRATOR: Chase
Pilot Nils Larson

approaches the runway
to line up with SOFIA,

as she readies for takeoff.

With each engine pushing
out 50,000 of thrust,

SOFIA rolls down runway 25.

The F-18 pairs up
with the huge 747.

She has 12,000 of
runway, but needs

only 5,000 to get airborne.

[radio chatter]

Her 18 wheels are
successfully retracted.

With scientists eagerly waiting
to get back to their flying

observatory, this
critical test flight is

a make it or break it mission.

SOFIA, the world's only flying
observatory is in the air

after a 12 month retrofit.

As a safety precaution,
NASA's F-18 chase plane

is off the 747
wingtip to make sure

her new untested instruments
are reading correctly.

Yeah, pretty much like
observation position now.

NARRATOR: Slowing
down the fast F-18

to keep pace with
SOFIA's ascent

is a challenge for
pilot Nils Larsen.

The airborne pickup is
a little bit different.

It's a little bit
more challenging

between me trying
to stay airborne

and not fall out of the sky.

And you know, big
airplane, big wing.

They can get airborne
at a slower speed.

NARRATOR: With SOFIA's
four engines, putting out

a combined thrust
of 200,000 pounds,

she's climbing at
2,300 feet per minute.

Once they're in clear
airspace, the crew

discovers a big problem.

The autopilot is acting up.

They asked Nils Larsen to
visually check SOFIA's flight

controls, especially the
elevators at the back

of the tail, which control the
planes up and down movement.

We're good?

We're seeing a lot of
switching in our autopilot.

Do you see anything on
our flight controls?

Little small movement?

Yeah, the
interesting thing is

it looks like the outboard
section is a couple of degrees

down, but the inboard
section is up.

That's not going to be
good for the telescope.

NARRATOR: The autopilot
isn't holding altitude,

and it must perform
perfectly for the telescope

to keep an accurate
fix on the sky.

The test flight continues with
the F-18 in close proximity,

observing SOFIA's every move.

The challenging part is
if something goes wrong,

that's trying to convey
to them what you see

and that kind of thing.

That's usually the
most challenging.

Nils' other big problem
is the turbulent jet

wash that comes off SOFIA's
four powerful jet engines.

You have to watch getting
too close when it comes

to-- primarily when
you're transiting

back and forth to look at
one side versus the other.

Those engines are big.

They put a lot a lot of thrust.

So watching out for that.

And we're starting our
left turn for the 1.2.

NARRATOR: With a Chase plane
holding position off SOFIA's

wing, they compare airspeeds.

I'm showing 0.700.

OK.

And I don't know
if you heard, chase

had everything we
had with identical

to what the pilot had.

And push it up to 25.

NARRATOR: SOFIA's
airspeed indicator

matches that of the F-18.

Except for the
faulty autopilot,

things are looking good.

Back in the NASA hanga, life
support technician Robert

Peterson inspects
a spare emergency

evacuation slide that's been
salvaged from another 747.

We see a little bit of
discoloration on the slide

area due to mildew,
and that will

be something that'll
have to be addressed

at the recertification process.

This is an easily replaced
surface, not inexpensive,

but it's certainly well
within recertification

and repacking criteria.

At a glance, we're very
pleased with the condition

of this slide, albeit
a 35-year-old slide.

NARRATOR: Hard to find spare
parts like this one are

the best hope to
keep the vintage 747

flying for many years to come.

In the air over
Central California,

SOFIA's flight crew is
still working out the bugs

with her new avionics.

She's taking a steep
turn to the left.

They were rolling
into the turn now.

No, wait, that's big for a big
airplane to a 45 degrees bay.

Drop off our chase,
and we'll turn back

around and come back to you.

NARRATOR: With her new
avionics now thoroughly tested,

the F-18 heads back to
Edwards Air Force Base,

and SOFIA turns
back to Palmdale.

For the approach into
runway 25 at Palmdale.

South at 747 heavy render.

NARRATOR: Her landing gear
is down and flaps are set.

SOFIA approaches at
140 miles per hour.

50, 40, 30, 20, 15, 10, 5.

NARRATOR: SOFIA is home
after her shakedown flight.

Nicely done.

Our 747 heavy.

I'd like to turn off on Juliet.

At 747 heavy, have
a good day, sir.

NARRATOR: Crew
Chief Steve Robinson

has spent the past year
waiting for this moment.

Troy, how's my jet?

Well, it's a
pretty good shape.

It was great to
be flying again.

Awesome.

Engine-wise and airframe-wise
and everything else,

it's good to go.

Great.

And we'll have
a few write-ups,

and we're going to have to
talk about some of the avionics

stuff in the debrief.

OK.

NARRATOR: But it's
not all good news.

Bad part, unfortunately,
is that the system

interface with the airplane
isn't up what we had expected.

There's some fairly
serious problems

that we're going to have
to fix before we can go

do science with the airplane.

CDU.

It's probably just--

NARRATOR: The big
problem is making

the new avionics system
communicate properly

with the old autopilot.

Sometimes, when you're
looking at trying to fix some

of these electrical problems,
it can take you 10 minutes,

or it can take you 10 weeks.

We just don't know
until you get in it,

and start looking, and trying
to find out what's wrong.

And you can look
and look and look,

and then all of a
sudden, bam, you figure

out what it's been doing.

It's just can be
really easy or really

difficult to trace it down.

NARRATOR: The scheduled
science flights are on hold.

After more than a
year of waiting,

SOFIA is still
not mission-ready,

not even airworthy.

The world's only
flying telescope

called SOFIA has
failed her flight test

and isn't ready for space
observation missions.

It's a frustrating setback
for the team of astronomers

and scientists, who have
been waiting a year to see

the 747 back in the skies.

Working on a big project
is always a high pressure

operation, even on a good day.

But when you have a problem
like the avionics upgrade

that goes on and on, it's--

the pressure only mounts.

It can be pretty hard to
work under those conditions.

Stress, pressure?

Absolutely.

To disappoint your
international customers

is obviously a
pressure that we just

have to force ourselves to
not succumb to that, I guess.

- That's where we're at.
- OK, good.

Good.

Good.

NARRATOR: SOFIA must
undergo more testing

to solve the big problem.

To make her new instruments
connect with the autopilot,

her external airspeed probes
are hooked up to a machine

that simulates flight.

It blows air into the
various probes, which

the aircraft systems
convert into airspeed,

altitude, and vertical speed.

They're fooling
the airplane to think

it's flying right now.

These tubes on the
side of the airplane

here, they're hooked up to an
air data test set that we use

to simulate the airplane flying
while we're on the ground,

and it tells
different information

like airspeed, altitude.

If you don't get it
right, when the pilot

goes to pull back on the
stick, either have no control

or will have too much control,
you know, cause him to crash.

NARRATOR: In the cockpit,
the test isn't going well.

Strong desert winds swirl
between the two hangars

and move SOFIA's
flight controls.

We're going to move
it out into the ramp,

and we're going to put the nose
of the aircraft into the wind.

So then, the wind will come
up underneath the flight

surfaces, and hopefully,
it won't flutter as much,

and we can get some
of our tuning done.

NARRATOR: SOFIA is
towed and positioned

directly into the wind.

The simple plan works.

The flight controls are no
longer pounded by wind gusts.

By pointing this
into the wind,

we were able to
put some pressure

on the bottom of the ailerons
in a manner that it was even.

So we didn't have the
flutter on one side

and versus the other.

So therefore, we were able
to fine tune this aircraft.

Testing it on the
ground is actually

way harder than in the air.

NARRATOR: The avionics
technicians now

get back to work and
troubleshoot the problems

with the autopilot.

I would say we're
about 80% done.

Fantastic.

Fantastic.

So another couple of
days and be all done?

I'd say another
couple of days,

and we'll be ready to say
they can put the cockpit

back together and
clean it all up

and get ready for test flight.

Sounds good to me.

We've been waiting for that.

NARRATOR: Additional
test flights

continue, with a frustrated
team of scientists on hold.

I can hardly wait to get the
test flights out of the way,

so we can get back to the
business of doing astronomy.

NARRATOR: Four more
stressful weeks

passed, and finally,
it begins to look

like the problem is solved.

The autopilot and the new
avionics are now talking.

Sometimes, the most
complex problems

have the simplest answer.

Turns out, it was just the
digital-to-analog converter.

It was just one
simple little box.

As soon as they
swapped that out,

everything worked perfectly.

NARRATOR: It's a
reminder to everyone

that even the
smallest components

are critical on the most
specialized 747 in the world.

Before SOFIA's next flight,
she gets a good scrub.

Detail specialist
Adam Sanchez removes

months of dust and grime.

Spraying SG5.

It's a chemical that
actually cleans the plane.

It doesn't affect the paint.

It makes it nice and neat so
that the paint doesn't start

chipping or anything
bad, and it comes

off really nice and easy.

Cleaning 747, it takes
12 people to clean.

It can take us anywhere
from 40 hours to 50 hours,

depending on how
dirty the airplane is

and what we're cleaning
from the airplane.

It's quite a workout.

It's quite a workout.

I don't need to go to the gym.

My shoulders-- I go home,
my shoulders are quite sore.

NARRATOR: A clean airplane
also helps with the fuel bill

by reducing air friction.

It improves on
the fuel efficiency.

It creates less drags
when it's flying,

and it's actually flies
faster when it's actually

cleaned than while it's dirty.

NARRATOR: Cleaned and
preened, SOFIA is now 24 hours

away from her next flight.

Her most valuable asset,
the 34,000 pound telescope

has also undergone an upgrade.

To clear SOFIA for
science missions,

it needs to be calibrated
and tested in flight.

It's not only a
chance for the telescope

to make sure that
it's working, but it's

a chance for the telescope
operators mission directors

to interact and work
with the flight crew

and make sure that we can
actually fly a mission.

NARRATOR: Inside SOFIA's
cabin, the telescope

is calibrated for its
first flight in a year.

Her telescope is equipped
with an infrared camera,

specifically
designed to capture

images deep in outer space.

To work at optimal
performance, it needs to be

cooled with liquid nitrogen.

Basically, what you have
in here is a system not

very different
from the microchip

that's in your digital camera.

By cooling it, you get
extremely better performance.

NARRATOR: The pressurized
tanks of liquid nitrogen

are highly explosive.

We have an array
of valves and, more

importantly, blow off valves.

That prevents this container
from turning into a bomb.

NARRATOR: The minus 320 degree
Fahrenheit liquid nitrogen

is added to the
camera's cooling system.

Ready?

Yes, ready.

OK, opening valve.

We're done.

You can see the liquid
nitrogen and closing the valve.

NARRATOR: The camera and
telescope are finally ready.

NASA is about to
find out if SOFIA,

her infrared telescope,
and new avionics systems

will all work together.

In the pre-mission brief,
Chief Pilot Troy Asher

does a full rundown
with Ted Dunham

and the rest of
the science team.

Basically, three parameters
we're going to vary.

And assume you want three
minutes at each one of these.

It's an end to end test of
everything, all put together,

from the airplane
all the way back

to the science instrument.

So you're focused
test in the beginning

is, basically, we'll just
hold her straight and level.

And you'll do what
you need to do

and tell us when you're done.

OK.

And make sure all the systems
play together the way they're

supposed to and the data
is recorded properly,

so you can make sense
of it at the end.

All of that is finally being
put together in flight.

NARRATOR: It's 45
minutes to takeoff.

Mission Director Nancy McCowan
needs everyone aboard SOFIA

as soon as possible.

Please be out
there 15, 20 minutes

before the door closes, so
we can help you get set up.

NARRATOR: The crew of 31, which
includes telescope operators,

mission planners, and
science specialists

are back in business.

Their job is to make aviation
and astronomy work together.

Tonight's 10-hour
flight will take

SOFIA northeast, from
Palmdale, California,

to Rapid City, South Dakota.

There, she will turn west
towards Portland Oregon

and out over the Pacific
Ocean before turning

back towards San Francisco.

And then her final leg,
south, back to Palmdale.

First time all night
in about a year, right?

Yeah.

That had been
like December of--

NARRATOR: SOFIA is
fueled up and on

deck for her first
mission in a year.

The airplane is ready to
go, and it looks like we're

ready to go fly
for the first time,

all night long in over a
year, so we're excited.

NARRATOR: The closing
doors signals what

they've all been waiting for.

Welcome, everybody,
to SOFIA flight 94.

We are the safety
test for the evening.

To begin with, all the doors
are now secured and armed.

So don't try to open them.

We'll take care of it.

Are there any
questions, concerns?

Let's go get some data.

We're set.

Airspeed's alive.

NARRATOR: Chief Pilot Troy
Asher applies full power,

and SOFIA accelerates
down runway 25.

SOFIA is now airworthy.

The real test will be to see
if the pilots, the plane,

and the telescope can
work together to provide

a new vision of the cosmos.

NASA's specialized airborne
observatory is at 35,000 feet,

traveling at Mach 0.86
and heading northeast,

toward South Dakota.

[radio chatter]

Tonight's mission
is to calibrate

and test the telescope's
upgraded control system.

Without a fully
operational telescope,

there will be no
more science flights.

We're basically trying to
take some measurements of how

well the telescope is
performing, how well we

can see, how well
is it tracking,

how well can we do everything.

We're test driving
the telescope.

It has a lot of new software.

We'll see how it
goes at the end.

NARRATOR: SOFIA is on a
10-hour nighttime mission,

posing a dangerous risk
of exhaustion to her crew.

Euphemistically,
everybody kind of

calls us the vampire
crew members.

We don't want to see daylight.

We only come out at night.

NARRATOR: SOFIA
reaches 38,000 feet

and is ready to begin
the telescope tests.

Mission to flightdeck
flight engineer.

We're ready to open the door
anytime you're able to do.

And it should be moving.

For a moment.

NANCY MCKOWN: Maybe
even a poor thing is,

we haven't flown in a year.

We're very rusty in terms
of what we have to do,

our processes, our procedures.

And so this is a good
practice flight for us.

NARRATOR: The observatory
door opens, and the telescope

can soon start tracking stars.

OK, it looks-- it
appears that the door

is all the way open, Tom.

So you'll see the
aperture going to 35,

which is where I set it.

The door's open.

We're good to go.

NARRATOR: With SOFIA on
course and on target,

the telescope operators get
busy locking onto stars.

Her unique telescope was
designed and built in Germany

and is operated by the
German Space Agency.

Holger Jacob monitors the
telescope's performance.

The telescope is pointing
on an object right now.

And this is actually
a star, and we

are using this camera
to keep the telescope

stabilized on this object.

NARRATOR: SOFIA is
flying at Mach 0.86, 14%

below the speed of sound.

For science flight
planner, Ken Bauer,

that speed makes it a
challenge to track stars.

Our job is to take a set
of targets which the science

community has rated
as very valuable

to be observed by observatory.

Not only do we have to
worry about the star

that we want to look
at being up and visible

and the sun being down and
the moon not being in the way.

But in order to point at
it, the plane has to point

in a certain direction.

Mission to flight deck.

Can you give me a
one-degree right turn?

Yeah, there's a lot
of things to monitor

that I have to monitor
very continuously,

things that change.

And I'm always having to ask
the pilots to change heading.

Some tests are more
intense than others.

NARRATOR: On the flight
deck, the new instruments

seem to be working.

But that doesn't make
tracking targets in space

easier in a 747, flying just
below the speed of sound.

We're really trying
to navigate in relation

to something that's
in deep space

and has nothing to do with
the surface of our Earth.

There's timing
issues with rotating

universe and all of that.

If you're in the wrong
place at the wrong time,

the telescope doesn't
know where to look.

You know, everything
gets messed up.

NARRATOR: And now,
there is a new problem--

high altitude turbulence
that affects the telescope's

precise stabilizers.

The telescope itself is
resting on air springs,

and these air springs are
damping the vibrations

from the aircraft.

We use gyroscope
sensors that guide

the telescope exactly
into the direction

we want it to look at.

We're starting to pick
up some continuous choppers

and more of the same up ahead.

NARRATOR: Now over
the Colorado Rockies,

SOFIA runs into
increased turbulence

that puts the telescope's
stabilizers to the test.

We got a pretty much
continuous moderate chop

right now, so we're
having a little trouble

getting things done.

There is going to be
some more bumps up ahead.

It looks like, if this map
is right we're looking at.

OK.

OK.

OK.

NARRATOR: It looks like
the telescope is moving,

but it's actually the
aircraft itself that's

moving around the telescope.

It would have been nice to
do this test in smooth air,

but, oh, well.
- Would have been.

NARRATOR: After 30 minutes
the worst of the turbulence

has passed,
allowing the science

crew to get back to work.

The yoke and the controls
do jitter quite a bit.

We were a little bit
worried about it.

It was causing the whole
airplane to move around,

enough that the
telescope probably

wouldn't have been able to
focus on some of its objects.

NARRATOR: Despite
the bumpy ride,

Troy hopes the scientists
got the results they needed.

Did you get your
focus part, too,

or did you miss that part?

Yeah, the turbulence
knocked everything off.

I guess if you go back
and look at the data,

and it's really important,
maybe we do it again.

I've never experienced
turbulence that heavy on

SOFIA before.

The telescope's
vibration isolation

system was working
harder than I've

ever seen it have to work.

And in fact, the
telescope wasn't

even operable for a while.

NARRATOR: Turbulence
is one problem.

Restricted airspace
poses another.

Right now, we're offshore,
off the shore of Oregon.

And we're observing a target.

And one of the challenges of
being a science flight planner

is that there are
a lot of things we

can't fly over or fly through.

There are a variety of
different restricted spaces.

You can see over here, a
couple of orange areas.

Those are coastal
warning areas.

Commonly, those will be used
for military flight planning.

It is preferred that
we not go there.

And delaying by just a minute
or two to move around them

could cost us a lot of
valuable science data.

NARRATOR: It's five hours
into the 10-hour flight,

and crew fatigue is
starting to set in.

I don't know when
the last time was that

you pulled an all-nighter.

But for me, it was college and
the occasional night flight.

But primarily,
this airplane will

be flown exclusively at night.

What I do
personally is I sleep

shift on a fairly quick basis.

I can stay awake fairly well.

And I like coffee.

NARRATOR: But there's
no time to rest.

The telescope and its
computer control systems

are no longer
responding to commands.

We just recently had a
crash of the computer system

that runs the
telescope and runs

the whole airplane system,
the mission control

and communications system.

Do we need to reboot
DAS or just put some tape?

NARRATOR: If the telescope
doesn't come back online,

the expensive
year-long overhaul

will suffer a critical
setback, and science will,

once again, have to wait.

OK, we're ready
for you to reboot.

NARRATOR: On board computers
reboot its control system.

And if that doesn't make
it fully functional,

they'll have to cancel the
mission and return to base.

Mission to flight
deck, can you

tell me what the status is?

Actually, right
after our conversation,

it pretty much smoothed out.

Copy that.

OK, we're on condition.

Yeah, I like the stress.

I like-- I like the
fast pace, you know?

And that you have to
think on your feet,

and you have to do
something right now.

NARRATOR: It takes 20
minutes of investigation

to discover the
root of the problem.

Something fouled up, and
we had to reset a whole bunch

of our computers.

It's requiring several minutes
for us to close the door,

reposition the telescope,
shut down several computers,

restart the master
network, and then restart

several different systems.

We're starting to
remember, oh, yeah,

this is what we need to do,
and this is how you do it.

And everything's
starting to gel.

So it's good.

NARRATOR: They've been in the
air for eight grueling hours,

with two more to go.

As far as our
position goes, we've now

made it around our circuit.

We're out over
the Pacific Ocean,

probably about, oh,
I'd say 300 miles west

of, say, Big Sur, California.

NARRATOR: After months of
setbacks, the flying telescope

finally works perfectly.

We had pretty good
success with it.

All the kind of work that
infrared astronomers do

is fundamentally based
on this capability.

So it's really
important that we were

able to show that this works.

I think that
went really well.

At least, we finished
the test, which was--

it's difficult to do,
and we finished it.

And we have new functions,
new functionality with it

than we did a year ago.

NARRATOR: Telescope
Software Engineer Holger

Jacob is equally pleased.

Today was very successful.

The telescope, so far,
really behaved flawless.

I'm proud here to work
here on this project.

NARRATOR: On the flight
deck, Chief Pilot Troy Asher

brings SOFIA back to Earth.

Well, we're about
20 minutes out now.

I'm loading in the approach,
coming back into Palmdale.

[radio chatter]

50, 40, 30, 20, 10.

NARRATOR: It's 5:00 AM,
and the sleep-deprived crew

is ready for bed, relieved to
have this test behind them.

It went great.

I think it's successful.

We got everything.

SOFIA's back in business.

We're ready-- we're ready
to do some good science

here the rest of the year.

NARRATOR: It takes hard
work and dedication

on the part of the ground
crew, air crew, and scientists

to allow SOFIA to do her job.

SOFIA is the largest movable
telescope in the world.

We can go places and see
things that other telescopes

can't do.

There's only one
SOFIA, and there's

basically only one aircraft
that does something like this.

We get to launch
SOFIA 120 times a year.

And if we don't
like what happened,

we can change something
and launch it again.

It's just a lot of pride to
be part of something this big

and this important
right now. it's

kind of amazing and humbling
all at the same time.

Great.

Very good.

We're back in business, boys.

All right.

NARRATOR: SOFIA's long and
challenging upgrade finally

puts her back in the skies.

She'll be flying space
observation missions

for many years to come.

With her dedicated team,
this 747 SP will help unravel

the mysteries of the universe.