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[drum roll] Narrator: It's not exactly ancient.

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But it certainly isn't new.

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This is NASA's C-130 Hercules, outfitted as a flying laboratory

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for the 2016 North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine

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Ecosystems Study—NAAMES for short.

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Informally, the flight crew and science teams have a different name for the airplane:

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50 Shades. Every time a science team needs to attach

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an instrument here or make a modification there, it gets another slap

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of gray paint. Fifty shades of gray.

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But make no mistake: when it comes to serious science, this bird sings.

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It can fly for ten hours at a stretch, filled with sophisticated

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hardware designed to look at aerosols, clouds, ocean color,

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and atmospheric chemistry.

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From the flight deck, the crew gets a spectacular panoramic view.

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It’s durable…and reliable…and while it will never be mistaken

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as luxurious, it’s as much a part of the team as everyone on board.