Aboard NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory

A 60-ton S-Band dual-polarimetric radar dish quietly scans the skies overlooking the Washington state coast in support of NASA's OLYMPEX weather program on November 22, 2015 near Moclips, Wash.

NASA's rare Douglas DC-8 aircraft rests on the tarmac at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State on December 5, 2015.

Technicians prepare to run early morning tests on NASA's ER2 research aircraft at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on December 5, 2015. The ultra rare airplane is rarely seen.

NASA Operations engineer Roosevelt Williams begins his morning routine on board NASA's DC-8 in preparation for a flight on December 5, 2015.

NASA scientist Steve Durden, with the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, checks instruments in the cargo hold of a DC-8 jetliner before a flight on December 5, 2015.

NASA scientists Steve Durden, left, and Svetla Hristova-Vleva monitor eqiupment during a research flight aboard a modified Douglas DC-8 flying laboratory on a flight over the Pacific Northwest on December 5, 2015.

NASA's Douglas DC-8 flying laboratory is devoid of most creature comforts, save for a few restrooms, a cooler chest, and a microwave/coffee maker, seen during a research flight over the Pacific Northwest on December 5, 2015.

NASA safety technician Donald Bailes keeps watch over equipment during a five-hour test flight aboard a modified Douglas DC-8 jetliner on December 5, 2015.

Stars streak slightly in the pre-dawn sky as NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory cruises over western Washington State on a flight on December 5, 2015.

Light creeps into the sky as NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory cruises over western Washington State on a flight on December 5, 2015.

Pilots aboard NASA's modified Douglas DC-8 flying laboratory guide the jet over the Pacific Northwest during a test flight on December 5, 2015.

The giant windows aboard NASA's Douglas DC-8 distinguish it, easily, from most other jets flying today. Seen during a test flight on December 5, 2015.

NASA safety technician Terrance Dilworth rifles through an overhead bin full of manuals for the onboard equipment during a research flight aboard a modified DC-8 jetliner on December 5, 2015.