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00:05some machines are made to work but others the most impossible machines in
00:11the world change the way things work carving new paths a one-of-a-kind plane
00:18no one else has tried to build an aircraft like this before a gravity
00:23divine funicular and an exceptional telescope machines designed for special
00:30purpose surpassing all expectation
00:40deep in the Mojave Desert a remote facility is buzzing with activity
00:51this is Stratolaunch an aerospace company on a mission to design manufacture and launch air
01:00and space vehicles into orbit good ignition good ignition it's home to the largest fixed
01:06wing aircraft in the world a one-of-a-kind icon of the air meet the rock
01:16you cannot take your eyes off it it dominates the landscape it's just so large and you can't even
01:25imagine a scale until you're sitting out in front of it on the runway your eyes are not deceiving you
01:31this plane has not one but two bodies and attached to them is a wing that's as long as a
01:38football field
01:40when you contrast the rocks wingspan to other large aircraft it totally dwarfs them in size
01:46its wingspan is nearly 49 meters wider than a Boeing 747
01:54it's 50 meters wider than the air force's largest plane the c5 galaxy
02:01and it takes 19 fighter jets placed wingtip to wingtip to equal the rocks reach
02:08the biggest wing in the world
02:12it's hard to imagine that a giant like this could ever be built let alone be able to take off
02:18and fly
02:18but that gigantic wing serves a gigantic purpose a wing that's this high and straight and long
02:25combined with two underslung fuselages it's optimized for maximum lift that means the aircraft
02:31can take off will carry unbelievably heavy loads
02:36to take you know something this massive and then you know put it in flight it's kind of magical
02:43the continuous wing is designed not for what its two bodies hold but for what's between them
02:50the rock was named after a mythological flying bird and it was known for carrying elephants
02:57and so that's very analogous to exactly what rock is basically carrying very large heavy objects which
03:04is exactly its purpose and why it's such a unique aircraft like a mama bat carries its pups in flight
03:09the rock transports vehicles into the air from the underside of its enormous wing nestled between its
03:15two bodies and the rock is capable of lifting incredibly heavy payloads imagine a 500,000 pound
03:23rocket strapped underneath the center wing of this aircraft dropping it at 35,000 feet
03:29launching that rocket and carrying it up to orbit
03:34booster rockets like the atlas of the falcon that launch satellites into orbit use incredible amounts
03:40of energy to escape earth's gravity typically more than 90 percent of a rocket's total weight
03:46is fuel the space shuttle was an even greater burden demanding even bigger boosters all these
03:53missions had to take place on enormous launch sites like cape canaveral and the kennedy space center
03:59that's where the rock is different and has reimagined the concept of the rocket launch rockets
04:06a launch site are typically constrained to that geographic location so they're stuck to that pad or that space
04:12where they have to take off from an air launch platform like rock is unique because we can take
04:18off from here in mohaga this morning but we could get out to any location and drop a very large
04:24payload or
04:24a very large rocket the rock can effectively turn any tarmac into a shuttle launch pad no need for nasa
04:31as
04:32long as you have a large enough runway the rock can do its thing and launch rockets from anywhere
04:38the team of engineers test pilots and crew at strato launch are continuously pushing the boundaries of
04:44aviation it's been that way from the start the utterly reimagined aircraft a plane with two bodies
04:51like a hall rockets to edge of space was conceived in 2010 as just a sketch on a nap initially
04:58the rock
04:59was designed to carry large payloads and satellites into orbit but that evolved into the flight testing of
05:05hypersonic vehicles launching an eight-year journey into the stratosphere building one of the biggest
05:15aircraft in the world meant they needed a really big hangar the result was the 30 000 square meter
05:22facility at the mojave air and spaceport things moved quickly with construction getting underway in 2011
05:29by using surplus aircraft and off-the-shelf parts whenever possible they were able to
05:35expedite the process because they could be designing and building as they went along design and build
05:41were done in parallel they didn't have to start from scratch all of the guts and the components
05:46inside that make the aircraft function all were taken from two existing 747 aircraft we took all those
05:55747 components the living breathing systems we designed them into this new airframe structure and we
06:02made the aircraft come alive here in mohawk the rock aircraft was designed with two fuselages spread far
06:11apart it allows a very large space such that we can carry these payloads up to 500 000 pounds though
06:19they
06:19look identical only the right one as a cockpit it's largely preserved from one of the strap 747s you've got
06:25bits like the throttles foot pedal even some of the old analog displays it's a bit strange looking but having
06:31twin bodies provides balance and stability for that very large wingspan legacy components were married to
06:37state-of-the-art ones it's the jumbo jet reborn the structure of the plane the bones that hold it
06:43all
06:44together had to be new and it's made of some of the largest composite components ever built in the world
06:50and they were made by hand by fabricators on site this is an aircraft formed from a wild imagination to
06:57carry two
06:58fuselages tons of fuel and six jet engines not to mention the other aircraft or rockets we carry
07:05it had to be strong just to get on the ground it's a pretty bold idea no one else has
07:10tried to build an
07:11aircraft like this before just because of the sheer undertaking there comes a point in every test program
07:18where you do all the design work and you do all your work on the computer and you do all
07:24the ground
07:24testing in the world but that day comes that you just you just have to go fly and so that
07:30day came april
07:3113th 2019 it was a huge day we all came out and saw an amazing moment the world's largest aircraft
07:41take
07:42off the mojave airspace the rock is rated for a maximum takeoff weight of nearly 600 tons getting
07:56that much weight into the air requires a lot of engines rock has not one not two but six engines
08:05we can't move the aircraft without the engine so we got three on either wing these are proud and
08:11whitney 40 56s put out a lot of thrust we need a lot of thrust to lift this airplane this
08:17is the most
08:18thrust that any aircraft has ever flown with it's got 56 000 pounds of thrust from each of those six
08:24engines because the aircraft made up of two planes is so heavy the thrust coming from its six engines
08:32simultaneously is essential when you kick in all six engines it's uh fairly quick it gives you a
08:38little bit of a kick in the pants and then it starts just bouncing all over the place it starts
08:42getting very dynamic think of it like letting go of an inflated balloon the air rushing on the back
08:49causes the balloon to move forward the heavier the aircraft the more thrust is needed to overcome its
08:54weight and track the gleaming exterior of the plane might be quite new but the engines themselves
09:01are getting their second chance they're a little bit older engines so these engines have a lot of
09:06hours on them but yeah they still work really well for us these jumbo vets are not ready for the
09:13scrapyard
09:14yet but they demand more inspection to ensure they're ready for takeoff engine inspections one of
09:20the first and last things we do constantly doing work on these guys making sure everything looks good
09:25making sure everything runs well we do maintenance on them constantly it's not just the engines that
09:32are meticulously checked every inch of the aircraft is inspected to ensure a successful launch we're
09:38going to start doing uh power on checks primarily we move the aircraft axes make sure the rudders the
09:45ailerons elevators are all moving the way they're supposed to height systems pressure looks good
09:50by the time we're done with our testing we'll check all 14 flaps uh all 12 ailerons with four elevators
09:58four rudders 24 breaks and we've checked all of that for us to be ready to go fly tomorrow
10:07the rock was designed to bridge the gravity gap between the ground and space providing a launch pad to earth
10:14orbit now it has a new passenger a machine designed not for space but for speeds that were once
10:22unimaginable in earth's atmosphere forget supersonic these are hypersonic hypersonic vehicles can travel
10:30at a velocity greater than Mach 5 that's five times the speed of sound it could revolutionize military
10:37and civilian transportation by providing unprecedented speed and maneuverability that's unbelievably fast
10:44uh trip from new york city to los angeles at Mach 5 that'd take you 30 maybe 40 minutes
10:51for strata launch this meant creating their own hypersonic vehicles in 2016 70 engineers toiled over
10:59four years to design the first operational model the talon a rocket the strata launch team uses the talon
11:07to conduct high-speed experiments for both military and commercial applications it's being tested to see how it
11:13holds up to immense heat generating hypersonic flight as well as testing for net sensors instrumentation
11:20and guidance and navigation systems so talon a is a reusable hypersonic test spec it's fully autonomous
11:28and unmanned so the talon is preloaded with a pre-flight trajectory and used to fly various payloads and
11:35technologies usually rockets are expendable vehicles that don't come back we've all seen rockets that
11:41explode burn up in space or crash into the ocean but what's amazing is the talon a was designed as
11:47a
11:47reusable rocket that can fly mission after mission and safely land back on a runway ready now
11:56the talon a is the result of humanity's desire to be the fastest thing on the planet
12:02but even this hypersonic vehicle needs a boost talon a is unable to take off straight from the ground air
12:09launch capability is is pretty simple you basically take an aircraft and you take another aircraft and
12:16you mount them to each other you take off from a conventional runway and you get up to a flying
12:21altitude and you drop that other aircraft off of the rock aircraft the rock has a unique way of cradling
12:31its precious cargo right now we are under the wing of the rock launch platform and right to the right
12:37of me is our pylon system the pylon system is used for connecting the talon a vehicle with the rock
12:45and it
12:46is what allows us to safely separate when we're at high altitudes the pylon is a specialized mounting
12:53structure located on the center wing and it's where the hypersonic vehicles are attached to the rock
12:58the pylon has its own mini wing 2.1 meters below the bottom of the main wing
13:05this keeps the rocket at a safe distance when it's time to launch
13:08the pylon has a series of winches to load the hypersonic vehicle onto its platform from the ground
13:15the talon is basically hitching a ride on the coolest plane in the world this is what the rock was
13:21built to do
13:23once the winches raise the talon up below the rock's wing the vehicle is attached to the pylon
13:29at three different points by a series of explosive metal alloy bolts after takeoff when the rock has
13:35reached 35 000 feet the flight engineer triggers the detonation the explosive within the bolts ignites
13:41cleanly breaking the connection between the talon and the pylon once the talon drops to the rock
13:48its rocket booster engine shoots it across the stratosphere and when it completes its flight
13:52a navigation system operated by master control guides the talon back down to earth for its landing
13:57the talon is the flash but the true mvp of the mission is the rock making all of this possible
14:11today the rock is running a test flight to get it ready for its next rocket launching mission
14:17this airplane is going to do something that it has not done in the history of its existence
14:21it's going to do a touch and go for the first time it's going to be exciting everybody's excited
14:25to do anything with this airplane for the first time a touch and go is a training maneuver where
14:31a pilot lands an aircraft on the runway and then immediately takes off again without stopping or
14:36exiting the runway touch and goes are essential what allows the pilot to do is practice the two
14:43most critical portions of a flight takeoff and landing this is a you know going to be it's only 25th
14:50flight ever we're still kind of developing the airplane so it's kind of it's kind of cool to do
14:54it for the uh the first time and really feel like you're a part of the development of the airplane
15:00with only 25 flights under that big wing there is no such thing as routine each mission is treated like
15:08the first every component is checked and double checked so pre-flight check uh you know we do a
15:14pretty thorough job there's a lot to check in this giant airplane general overall integrity tires overall
15:21servicing i'm kind of just looking over it as kind of a final check the pre-flight check isn't just
15:27for
15:28the airplane the tarmac is checked as well something as small as a stray screw on the runway could be
15:35disastrous we're doing a fod walk just picking up any of the debris on the pad that could cause issues
15:43get stuck in tires and stuff fod prevention is a big deal in uh aviation fod is short for foreign
15:50object
15:50debris uh fod walk is a safety procedure where ground crew find and remove any objects that could be
15:57dangerous to the aircraft even the smallest object or debris on the tarmac could be catastrophic for
16:03the mission in 2000 a piece of debris on the tarmac punctured a tire on the air france concord
16:11after takeoff pieces from that tire struck the fuel tank resulting in a fire and the plane crashing
16:17killing all 109 people on board that's why bod checks are so vital they ensure that this one-of-a
16:24-kind
16:24aircraft gets safely airborne i'm looking for any like big rocks or anything that could get stuck in
16:31an aircraft tire like that's actually what i'm looking for that's an aircraft fastener so this
16:38could be off of a panel it could be off of anything somehow ended up on the ramp this is
16:43the kind of
16:43stuff we're trying to prevent final inspection is complete everything looks really good we're good to fly
16:52once the fod walk and all the safety checks are done it's go time
16:58the plane is lined up on the runway test control you're cleared in part nine bravo
17:05all systems are go parking brake is released everybody ready ready and the rock is cleared for takeoff ready
17:13for a short but critical journey it's a cool feeling as soon as you get airborne
17:24it's kind of like being in love it's just a good feeling makes you feel a little warm inside i
17:30guess
17:36the pilots circle back and line up with the runway with cool efficiency and steady hands they maneuver the rock
17:45for multiple touch and goes
18:06after a final successful landing the straddle launch crew gives itself a round of applause
18:13another milestone for this magnificent machine test went very well today nice and smooth we had no
18:20surprises very successful and another one in the books for rock
18:27the rocks game-changing combination of payload capacity and support of hypersonic flight is
18:33revolutionary and has reshaped aviation i'm extremely excited about the future of hypersonics there's so
18:41many different applications out there and ways that we can use it to better our society the rock is one
18:47of the mightiest machines ever flown pushing the boundaries of aerospace design and technology
18:53what started as a sketch on a napkin has lifted aviation to new heights and when this titan takes off
19:00it truly is the impossible made possible
19:06the stu spawn funicular is a one-of-a-kind scenic ride in the swiss alps a unique vehicle unlike
19:13any other
19:13on the planet whizzing passengers up the steepest tracked incline in the world it's the world's record
19:23with jaw-dropping angles and breathtaking mountain views
19:31it's a marvel of gravity-defying engineering
19:37a funicular is a cable-operated train system that's designed to go up
19:41and down very steep hills and mountains
19:45located in central switzerland the funicular's job is to carry passengers from the valley town of schweitz
19:51up to the small mountain town of schtus this one-of-a-kind climb of 744 meters to the very
19:58top
19:59takes only seven minutes for a trendy steep the funicular is the best option the stu spawn
20:06ascends up the mountain in what seems like a near vertical incline a 110 gradient that gradient is so
20:14steep that if you tried to drive a car up this it would topple pulling the two carriages of the
20:22funicular up and down the dizzying mountain heights takes a mighty engine to handle the heavy load that's
20:28the main drive it's an electric engine this one have thousand kilowatts power and we have two of them
20:36that we can drive at the same time we need a lot of power because of the steepest from the
20:41funicular
20:43each motor produces enough energy to simultaneously operate 250 escalators
20:49and these motors do it all electrically the advantage of having an electric engine is it has a
20:55smaller footprint than a large diesel engine it also means greater efficiency it's more reliable
21:02and obviously it's cleaner energy so they're cutting down on emissions a lot of people think
21:07that because electric engines are small and quiet they don't have a lot of power
21:11but don't be fooled they pack a ton of energy and a ton of force relative to their size especially
21:16compared to internal combustion engines the motor's power enables to move from above to 1500 passengers
21:22per hour in each direction a steep climb demands more power this tourist attraction packs a major traction
21:30we are looking at two track wheels and the main rope the main rope is fixed on both sides from
21:39each train
21:40the cable is around three and a half kilometers long it attached the two trains that we can move both
21:50at the same time
21:51the large cable goes from one train up the mountain and around the pulley system attached to a huge
21:56wheel and then back down to the other train that means that as one goes up the slope the other
22:02one goes
22:02down basically each train acts as a counterweight for the other the descending car's weight helps pull the
22:09other one up the mountain and it's all assisted by the electric motors
22:17this vanicular travels a path so steep it needs a special kind of passenger compartment
22:24each car adjusts according to the change in pitch even when the ascent is almost vertical passengers feel grounded
22:32we have a hydraulic system that ensures that we're always level each cabin gets balanced down
22:39separately we have to rotate the cabin because we want to have the level when we walk in otherwise we
22:48all fell on one side having the ability to handle such a sheer climb while keeping the funicular's
22:54passengers upright is only possible because of its innovative hydraulics
23:00each cabin is equipped with two hydraulic cylinders as the funicular travels along the track the
23:07cylinders respond to the steep gradient of the terrain they adjust simultaneously leveling the cabins within
23:13the frame the hydraulics ensure that whether you are going up or down the track the cabin and its
23:20passengers stay level at all times a level cabin is a big departure from traditional funiculars which use
23:29fixed cars that make boarding more difficult on slope platforms on the stu spun you can get in without any
23:36barriers
23:36so it's more accessible when it comes to mountains getting up the hill is all part of the fun but
23:43controlling the descent
23:46is paramount is paramount breaks are the most important thing uh because when we have something that's uh
23:55uh wrong or it's broken the funicular has to stop and this is our chance to stop it if you're
24:03traveling vertical
24:04up the side of the mountain the brakes better do their job and when it comes to breaks redundancy is
24:12the name of
24:12the game you want as many fail safes in place as possible which is why this two spawn is equipped
24:19with multiple breaks we have here the safety brakes two on this side and two on the other side it's
24:26like the
24:26last chance that we can stop the funicular we need four of them because on the steepest point we have
24:34to
24:34be sure that we can always stop the ride one incredible thing about the stew spa is that its regenerative
24:45braking system captures energy and converts it into heat that heat is then used by the rooms in the hotel
24:52at the top of the mountain the stew spawn is an essential means of transit but it's not the first
24:58funicular to travel up this mountain the tiny village of stews started as a settlement for
25:03agriculture and farming but it gained popularity in the early 1930s as a popular skiing site but since
25:09stews is a car-free village it was very difficult to actually get to so in 1933 the first funicular
25:15opened connecting stews to the town further down the mountain it was revolutionary for its era
25:21the only funicular in the world to feature fully aluminum carriages in 1933 that was cutting-edge
25:29technology since most early funiculars used boxcars made out of wood the original schvitz schuss
25:35funicular had fixed cabins it operated for 84 years but as technology reached new heights what was cutting
25:43edge became obsolete for its time the original funicular did an admirable job but like many pieces of
25:50machinery it's out with the old in with the new innovation is key construction of the modern
25:57funicular began in 2013 to build the steepest funicular in the world was a monumental task there
26:04was a lot of challenges in the construction for example drill heads would get stuck in the hard rock
26:11they had to use a custom design machine that laid prefabricated concrete tracks while moving uphill
26:19the funicular's opening was two years later than initially scheduled and took four years in total
26:24to complete by the time the project was finished in 2017 it ended up costing 54 million euros
26:33the new funicular means that a larger number of passengers get to enjoy this incredible ride
26:40over 500 000 people travel on the stu spawn every year but it isn't just a tourist attraction the
26:47funicular is a lifeline for the alpine locals it's the fastest and easiest means of travel between schvitz
26:54below and stu's above and vice versa the village is pretty remote there's only one road to go up to
27:01the village of stu's people who live up here they're dependent on the funicular otherwise a lot of people
27:06who live up in a in a village they can't get home
27:12and the stu spawn moves more than just people it serves as the delivery service for everything the
27:18village depends upon the funicular is designed to transport all kinds of cargo and materials up the
27:24mountain things like concrete sand or stones but then also food beverages luggage anything that
27:30people need has to get carried up the mountain
27:36the funicular is used for transporting the material that gets brought up
27:42if someone wants to build a house or something like that then all the building materials gets
27:47transported up with the funicular the funicular can carry 136 people
27:53and up to one ton of freight each journey without passengers the funicular can transport up to six
28:00tons of material on its freight platform
28:06that's enough tonnage to build the framework of a small house
28:10without it people would have a problem and will take around two or three hours to hike up the mountain
28:16but it's a really steep hike and not really a comfortable one and if you have a lot of material
28:22yeah it's going to be difficult the stu's funicular operates through every season and this being
28:30switzerland it of course runs like clockwork they operate regardless of the weather it doesn't matter how
28:35much it snows how much it wins
28:40the stu's bond is a technological marvel a smooth and seamless seven minute climb into the clouds
28:47it's quite spectacular and the engineering is fantastic and amazing this machine is a triumph of human
28:55ingenuity and problem solving mounting 110 degree incline has pushed the boundaries of funicular design
29:02whether you live in schweitz or stu's or you're just visiting
29:06this futuristic funicular is like nothing else in the world
29:10you're just going to be able to do it at the top of mount graham more than 3 000 meters
29:18up there's a mechanical marvel
29:25eight stories high and 13 times heavier than a house
29:30a pair of specialized eyes that see deep into the heavens
29:36capturing light that has traveled billions of years to reach us
29:41this is the large binocular telescope
29:46the lbt
29:50the reason the large binocular telescope was placed at the top of mount graham
29:54in southeastern arizona was to take advantage of its high elevation dry climate and lack of light pollution
30:01these are all essential for maximizing the performance of the telescope
30:08lbt is the only one binocular telescope in the world it is unique because it allows with optics
30:15to observe the same part of the sky with the double the resolution
30:19we study everything from nearby stars newly forming planets around those stars to some of the most
30:27distant objects in the universe the optical technology in the lbt is so incredible that it produces images
30:34up to 10 times sharper than the hubble space telescope with its 360 degree view the lbt has made numerous
30:43discoveries and revealed the nature of the hercules dwarf galaxy a companion to the milky way
30:51and it also provides images of planets from outside our solar system
30:56known as exoplanets that are more than 127 light years away from earth
31:02the telescope is important and powerful because we can take images very similar to the ones
31:10you only could get when you go very close to the planet with the spacecraft
31:17recording never-before-seen images of galaxies and stars is the strength of the lbt
31:23but none of that is possible if the telescope doesn't have the ability to move quickly and efficiently
31:32the lbt can be configured in 20 minutes or less with the help of four powerful motors we're standing
31:40about 30 feet away from the telescope those silver c rings there are what the telescope slides on to be
31:47able to point down all the way to horizon or and then all the way up right now pointing straight
31:52up into
31:52the sky few molecules thick of oil is going to support the 650 tons of that telescope
31:58the lbt uses high pressure oil bearings to essentially float the massive structure holding
32:04the primary mirrors the oil evenly distributes their colossal weight ensuring smoother movement
32:10and eliminating any friction that could jeopardize the telescope's image capturing capability two small
32:16motors on each side are going to drive those gears and bring that telescope down to where it's pointing
32:22straight out the front of the enclosure so what you're going to see is 650 tons of steel
32:26and glass and electronics and instruments in motion while the telescope moves to track the skies the
32:34enormous 1800 ton structure surrounding the telescope is also moving because the building and the
32:42telescope move independently they have to stay in sync so the telescope operator operates the telescope and
32:48the building basically follows the telescope to stay in sync so that the openings in the building are where
32:53the telescope is pointing both the telescope and the supporting structure match each other's movement in a
33:01perfectly synchronized ballet of motion the telescope rotates on an inner rail while the building itself
33:09rotates on an outer rail no wobbles jittering or lag it's all perfectly smooth so the lbt can seamlessly capture
33:17the
33:18perfect images
33:24the fortress of the lbt sits on the bogey level this is where you find all the wheels that support
33:30its rotating housing
33:33we're here on the top of the concrete here that supports this 2 000 ton enclosure above us that wraps
33:38around the telescope and behind me this is the bogey one of four that allows that building to move
33:46that's an enormous ask for these wheels they are attached to a singular frame but the weight they
33:52have to bear is staggering with each of the 20 wheels supporting 91 tons the reason it's moving is because
34:00the telescope is being pointed to a certain direction and the building is going to follow the telescope so
34:05the bogey drives are keeping the building aligned with the view of the telescope
34:11the components that make the lbt scientifically invaluable are the two eight and a half meter diameter
34:18mirrors mounted side by side at its base this telescope has the largest mirrors in existence
34:25telescope performance is a function of its size primarily because a larger lens or mirror collects more light
34:33and provides higher resolution so a bigger lens allows astronomers to see fainter and more distant
34:40objects and produce sharper and more detailed images together the resolution of these two mirrors is
34:46greater than that of a telescope twice their size
34:52the twin mirrors of the lbt were cast at the university of arizona in 1997 and 2000.
34:58molten glass was spun in a huge oven forming a natural bowl-shaped curve while also creating a
35:05honeycomb structure inside for strength and reduced weight this made the mirrors more thermally stable
35:12than solid glass these high precision mirrors are the key to the entire operation they allow the large
35:19binocular telescope to pinpoint specific locations that scientists want to learn more about then collect and
35:24focus the light they pull in from outer space to create the stunning images that the lbt is known for
35:33the balancing system of the lbt helps it remain fixed on one spot in space
35:39as the light from the stars passes through the atmosphere turbulence in the air distorts and blurs the
35:45light adaptive optics corrects for the blurring using secondary mirrors with magnets on their back
35:51that change the mirror shape more than one thousand times per second the corrected light is deflected
35:58towards the center of the telescope where it's combined and captured as high resolution images by the camera
36:04the secondary mirrors are actually remarkable because they can reverse the distortions very similar
36:10to noise cancelling headphones and sound waves this is the first implementation of this technology
36:16at any telescope in the world that allows us to make incredible measurements that rival what you can do from
36:23space the mirrors can read the chemical fingerprints or the unique patterns of stars planets galaxies and even
36:30black holes turning a faint glimmer of light into a clear window to the universe
36:38every time the observatory dome opens to let the telescope scan the skies
36:44the primary mirrors are exposed to the elements the primary mirror is very fragile it's all glass and it takes
36:54about
36:54three years to produce another mirror if something happens to this one the amount of time that we would
37:01lose if something happened it would be extremely expensive
37:07with the universe's secrets at stake these oversized peepers need to be cleaned and refreshed regularly
37:14and that requires an incredibly specialized machine
37:19enter the belt jar a nine meter in diameter vacuum chamber that is used to resurface the mirrors
37:27every year one of the two primary mirrors gets a facelift
37:31where the bell jar applies a fresh reflective coating of aluminum with most telescopes their mirror would
37:38be cleaned in a lab but with the lbt its mirrors stay on the telescope this eliminates the massive
37:45undertaking of bringing them down the mountain in order to carry out this process the cleaning phase
37:52is the first step for resurfacing the mirrors all the aluminum is chemically stripped away
37:58then the 23-ton bell jar is hoisted up by a crane it's carefully put in place on top of
38:05the mirror
38:06creating a pressurized seal to begin the process so what you're doing is you're creating a vacuum chamber
38:13between this structure the bell jar and the primary mirror of the large binocular telescope these are vacuum
38:20pumps and their controllers to pull the vacuum and it pulls all the air and the moisture
38:25out of the bell jar getting a good vacuum is critical to a good re-coat once the vacuum seal
38:32is
38:32complete a small quantity of aluminum is vaporized and falls in a layer across the mirror this aluminum
38:39is what gives the mirrors their highly reflective capabilities
38:44in order to work at their optimum capacity the instruments of the lbt have to be kept at a
38:51temperature of minus 196 degrees celsius if they were to overheat the images taken by the telescope
39:00would have digital noise or distortion making them useless so liquid nitrogen is used to keep things
39:08chilly liquid nitrogen is a perfect coolant for sensitive instruments due to its low temperature and
39:16its ability to absorb large amounts of heat this makes it ideal for users in medicine science and
39:22electronics where precision and stability are critical this is what cools the instruments on the telescope every
39:32morning and every afternoon we have to transfer out of these to the instruments that are up on the telescope
39:40with an instrument it creates heat from the electronics and it distorts the pictures if they see a heat trace
39:49so we must cool them all down a heat trace appears as an increase in thermal noise or static in
39:56the detector
39:57which can overwhelm the signal from faint sources in the sky
40:03the lbt isn't just cold it's the coolest set of astronomical binoculars on earth but building them was a huge
40:12undertaking
40:14the steel skeleton of the telescope took shape in italy in 2002 and the massive structure was shipped
40:20across the ocean and up the mountain to be assembled the enormous mirrors were created in arizona but they
40:28too had to be transported up the mountain the last stretch of which is a very winding route
40:35in 2008 the lbt was finally put to work ogling the universe with both eyes open to record the incredible
40:43images that have made it famous in the science community this is an international project the
40:50telescope is a collaboration between the scientific institutions from the usa italy and germany italian
40:58scientists have made the lbt even more powerful by adding a system of instruments called the shark
41:06the shark is made up of sophisticated optical instruments that increase the visual capacity
41:11of the telescope and produce incredibly high resolution images the shark is optimized to capture
41:17not only visible light but also near infrared light near infrared light has wavelengths just beyond the
41:24red end of the visible spectrum making it invisible to the human eye so these instruments are highly sensitive
41:31it gives us the most magnification in the world astronomy sharp collects the light through the telescope
41:38by means of this two mirrors that sense the lights inside the instrument we look at the brightness at every
41:46specific color which contains a huge amount of information about these objects we can see
41:51sometimes billions of light years away this is most important instrument because it exploit the potential
41:58of the telescope and give us the maximum magnification we can achieve with the larger binocular telescope
42:05it also can record very fine object close to bright sources for example we can see a fly flying around
42:15a street lamp
42:16from 400 kilometers from 400 kilometers far away
42:23in humanity's eternal quest to understand our place in the cosmos few machines have proven mightier than
42:31the large binocular telescope this telescope is a time machine it takes light to travel from those objects
42:38out in space to reach us as we look to more and more distant objects we're looking further and further
42:43back in
42:44time we can look back through 90 percent of the history of the universe with this telescope
42:51this set of eyes captures the past present and future of our universe every day the lbt reminds us
42:59that earth's mightiest machines aren't only built to conquer land sea or sky but to stretch our vision
43:05the past present and future of our universe across time itself
43:07you
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