Primal Space

Preparing Concorde to Chase an Eclipse

In 1973, a specially modified Concorde did something no ordinary aircraft could: it chased a solar eclipse. In order to make it happen, engineers removed passenger seats, packed the cabin with scientific instruments, and even installed observation windows in the roof so researchers could study the sun from above the clouds. At the controls was legendary test pilot André Turcat, who flew the aircraft with extraordinary precision to stay inside the Moon’s shadow. For one remarkable flight, Concorde became the fastest eclipse-chasing observatory on Earth.