WEBVTT FILE

1
00:00:00.533 --> 00:00:05.900
Scientists are studying tiny atmospheric particles with NASA Armstrong’s ER-2 aircraft.

2
00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:10.633
These daring pilots fly above what’s called the Armstrong Line.

3
00:00:13.166 --> 00:00:15.200
That’s 63,000 feet.

4
00:00:16.266 --> 00:00:17.500
Above that line

5
00:00:17.500 --> 00:00:19.800
there's very little pressure so,

6
00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:21.500
your blood will start to boil.

7
00:00:21.500 --> 00:00:24.266
So the suit will fill up with air,

8
00:00:24.266 --> 00:00:28.033
and it'll put the pressure on the pilot’s body.

9
00:00:28.500 --> 00:00:31.866
Flying twice as high as commercial planes for up to 8 hours,

10
00:00:31.866 --> 00:00:34.300
these pilots need a way to drink and eat.

11
00:00:34.300 --> 00:00:36.500
We have different types of tube food,

12
00:00:36.500 --> 00:00:38.200
and they all connect

13
00:00:38.200 --> 00:00:40.400
the straw to their tube food.

14
00:00:40.400 --> 00:00:43.400
And then that fits right through

15
00:00:44.666 --> 00:00:46.466
a port in their helmet.

16
00:00:46.466 --> 00:00:48.300
So we had all kinds of like meat

17
00:00:48.300 --> 00:00:51.366
flavors like pizza and stroganoff

18
00:00:51.366 --> 00:00:52.666
and other kind of weird stuff

19
00:00:52.666 --> 00:00:54.666
that nobody ever liked.

20
00:00:54.666 --> 00:00:56.000
So we ended up getting rid of those,

21
00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:58.766
and now we have caffeinated apple pie.

22
00:00:58.766 --> 00:01:01.066
Chocolate pudding, which isn't half bad.

23
00:01:01.066 --> 00:01:02.800
This is the Zapplesauce.

24
00:01:02.800 --> 00:01:05.000
Those aren’t the only important tubes!

25
00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:09.100
This tube there, and that tube is plugged into another

26
00:01:09.100 --> 00:01:10.400
tube inside the airplane,

27
00:01:10.400 --> 00:01:12.466
which goes into a collection can.

28
00:01:12.466 --> 00:01:13.800
Once the pilot is suited up,

29
00:01:13.800 --> 00:01:15.833
it's off to the pad for takeoff.

30
00:01:19.900 --> 00:01:22.333
During the flight, science instruments on the ER-2

31
00:01:22.333 --> 00:01:25.633
will collect measurements to help validate NASA’s PACE satellite,

32
00:01:25.866 --> 00:01:29.700
improving ocean and atmospheric data across the globe.