How Did a Plane Find the First Molecule in the Universe? | Out of Our Elements

How did the molecules that make our world—and us—come to be? Subscribe! ↓ More info below ↓ PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: To understand the dawn of chemistry, scientists can’t use test tubes and flasks: they need an atmospheric observatory, courtesy of a modified Boeing 747 jet. In this episode of Out of Our Elements, hosts Caitlin Saks and Arlo Pérez Esquivel learn all about NASA’s unique SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) mission, and how it was used to detect the first type of molecule in the universe: helium hydride.