The Universe today is filled with planets,
stars, galaxies...
But what came before?
(Dramatic music. Sound of explosion)
After the Big Bang, the early universe only had
a few types of atoms - mostly helium and hydrogen.
Scientists believe that helium and hydrogen began
to combine to form the universe's first molecule, 
called helium hydride.
These molecules led to the creation of new
molecules that helped cool the early universe.
Over billions of years the universe transformed,
becoming the complex place it is today.
Scientists have never found helium hydride
in space - until now - in a planetary nebula.
Flying high in the Earth's atmosphere with SOFIA,
the world's largest airborne observatory,
scientists finally detected this elusive molecule.
SOFIA, a partnership of NASA and
the German Aerospace Center,
uses cutting-edge technology.
Its instruments are easily upgraded,
unlike other observatories in space.
SOFIA's detection of the first molecule
that ever formed confirms a key part of
our basic understanding of the early universe.
