Super Factories (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - NASA's Rocket Factory - full transcript

Narrator: A gadget that's been
in everyone's pocket

Since the turn of the century
is getting an upgrade.

The journey to deep space
is under way.

The world's most successful
chocolate bar

Is breaking with tradition.

And one of the fastest
production lines in the world

Is cooking up
an unlikely product.

These groundbreaking innovations
are all taking place

Inside some of the most
incredible factories

On the planet.

Nestled in the slopes
of the swiss alps,



A company is making one of the
world's most iconic products.

Victorinox is the leading
manufacturer of pocketknives,

Including the one
and only swiss army knife.

In their sustainable
super factory,

Victorinox makes these
pocket-sized toolkits

By the million
and sells them to 120 countries.

Think of a rolex watch
that is extremely expensive

And has that miniaturization
and key specialist engineering.

Another example

Is a top-of-the-range
swiss army knife,

A hugely premium product
that can set you back $500.

Narrator: Victorinox got their
start in the late 19th century.

It all began in 1884 when
karl elsener and his mother

Opened a cutlery workshop,
where they made knives.



In 1891, the swiss army
commissioned

A purpose-built knife.

It had specific requirements,
such as allowing the soldier

To dismantle their rifle,
to open cans,

And, of course,
to fight in battle.

Elsener won the contract

And designed the officers'
and the sports knife.

Narrator: Fourth-generation
family member carl elsener

Now runs the company.

Today, 850 people work
at the victorinox factory,

Manufacturing swiss army knives

Using methods that date back
100 years.

And an incredible 50%
of the process is done by hand.

It all begins with a coil

Of 3-millimeter-thick
stainless steel.

Wyss: We use 2,500 tons
of steel in the production.

Narrator: Each roll
contains enough steel

To make 16,000 blades.

It will become a little bit
noisier inside here.

Narrator: This is the heart

Of the swiss army knife
assembly.

Here, rolls of steel
are fed into metal presses

To create the knife's
individual components.

Here in this area, these are
all different stamping machines

Where we produce all parts,

Which will be one day
in a swiss army knife.

So blade, can openers, scissors,
on and on.

Narrator: The raw steel

Is pulled through
a stamping machine,

Which uses 154 tons of pressure

To punch out
thousands of individual pieces.

♪♪

This is a little bit of special
stamping machine.

It stamps out our famous emblem,
the cross and shield,

Which comes
to every swiss army knife.

One stamping machine can produce

Up to 60,000 blades a day.

Narrator: At every stage,
sustainability is key

And minimizing waste

Is a high priority
for victorinox.

Wyss: The waste we collect
in these boxes,

We give back to the suppliers
for recycling.

Narrator: More than half
of the 2,756 tons of steel

Used each year is recycled.

Around 600 tons of grinding
sludge is produced

As a by-product
in the processing of this steel.

The water contained
in the sludge is absorbed

And the steel particles
are pressed into briquettes,

Allowing them
to be properly recycled.

There are also nearly 14,000
square feet of solar panels

On the factory's roof that
help reduce energy consumption.

It's not just green.

It's also steeped in history.

Traditional production methods
haven't changed for generations.

Some of the machines
are over 50 years old.

After the blades
and accessories are cut,

The edges still remain rough,
so they're processed

Through a mix
of vibrating stones and water.

The friction produced
cleans and polishes the steel.

After five hours in the mix,
a powerful magnet

Pulls the parts out of the bowl.

♪♪

They may be polished,

But the parts are not yet
strong enough to use.

So they're sent

To a 1,922-degree-fahrenheit
furnace to harden.

This crucial step ensures
the knives will last a lifetime.

At this temperature,

The molecular structure
of steel changes,

Making it stronger.

Only steel that's high in carbon
can be hardened and tempered.

If it doesn't contain the
necessary quantity of carbon,

Then its crystalline structure
can't be broken.

Therefore, its physical makeup
can't be altered.

Narrator: Each blade has
a different function.

So every one of them requires
a different hardness.

There are 400 different knife
models in production today.

Over the last few decades,
extra gadgets have been added,

Including cigar cutters,
nail files,

And a usb memory stick.

Nasa even equips its astronauts
with swiss army knives.

The steel is now hardened,
but it's still only roughly cut,

So it's placed on a turntable
and rotated

Under a grinding stone
until it's the right size.

Then it drops through
to the collection bowl.

If the proportions of each part

Deviate more than
0.02 millimeters,

They will not fit together
in the handle.

After the blades are sharpened,
every part must pass inspection.

Only then is the company name
stamped on the base.

The knife is ready
to be assembled,

And despite
today's age of robotics,

This process is
mostly done by hand.

People are better than robots
at complex tasks

That require manipulation

And also hand-making
or handcrafting something

Carries a premium.

People aspire to having
a handmade item

Which carries
some kind of cachet.

Narrator: The different tools
are added one by one,

Along with springs
that allow them to come forward.

Can opener... Screwdriver...

Multi-purpose
hook... Scissors...

Wood saw... And corkscrew.

All these essential tools

Are micro-engineered
into the knife.

And it wouldn't be an authentic
swiss army knife

Without the famous red handle.

The tool bundle
is placed on a machine

That sandwiches it between
the two iconic red handles.

Incredibly, for this knife,
all nine tools

Are packed into
the 2.5-centimeter-thick handle.

Victorinox sells each knife
with a lifetime guarantee.

So all tools are checked
by hand before being shipped.

This sustainable super factory
is leading the way

In greener metal manufacturing.

Their meticulous attention
to detail

And traditional craftsmanship

Mean victorinox will keep
this small town

In central switzerland
bustling for years to come.

Coming up, scientists
in one futuristic factory

Are shooting for the moon
and beyond

As they build the world's
most advanced rocket.

And later, a famous chocolate
bar is breaking with tradition.

Narrator: In new orleans
lies a super factory

On a truly gigantic scale.

The innovative product created
here takes years to assemble,

Costs billions of dollars,

And then self-destructs
in just eight minutes.

Since 2011,
nasa has been hard at work

On the space launch system,
or sls.

This advanced
space launch vehicle

Will be able to send astronauts

And cargo to the moon
on a single mission.

But it will also have the power
to go beyond the moon,

To explore destinations
far into the solar system

And even land a crew on mars.

Rockets are the most
complex machines

Ever devised by human beings.

Narrator: The key part to
getting the sls into space

Is under construction here

At nasa's michoud
assembly facility.

Michoud has been
building rockets

Since the dawn of the space age
in the 1950s.

And their futuristic
super factory

Now covers almost
183,000 square feet,

More than 31 football fields
combined.

Over 1,000 manufacturers
from all over the u.S.

Are getting the various
sls parts ready

Before it is eventually
assembled

At kennedy space center
in florida.

Here at michoud, they're making
the largest section

Of the rocket... the core.

It will hold the liquid hydrogen
and oxygen

That feed the four engines
powering the rocket.

The core stage is comprised
of five major segments.

That's the engine section.

The liquid hydrogen tank,
the intertank,

The liquid oxygen tank,
and the forward skirt.

Now, that's not
the completed rocket in itself,

But it is if you want to imagine
the muscle

Behind what gets us
to the moon and beyond.

Narrator: This complex
of over 200-foot-high tanks

That fuel
four liquid propellant engines

Will be capable of blasting
the rocket into orbit

With over 1,984,000
pounds of thrust,

Allowing it to reach speeds
of over 24,000 miles per hour.

♪♪

The effects of this massive
surge of power

Are being observed
on the michoud engine test bay.

And the test confirms just
how challenging this project

Will be for the michoud
rocket scientists.

The fuel tanks need to be
as light as possible,

But still be able to resist
incredible heat

Generated during liftoff.

What they need to get right
are the domes.

These are the sections
which seal the fuel tanks

At the top and the bottom.

Narrator: Some extra-strength
machinery is on site to help

With the heavy lifting.

As we're nearing the completion
of the forward dome

For the liquid hydrogen tank,
some of our mechanics here

Are using
this overhead lifting tool.

And once we've completed
with the weld series,

We will remove this dome
from the tool,

Take it to the far end
of our factory.

And yet another larger
welding tool

Where we will fully assemble
a completed fuel tank.

Narrator: This is the biggest
welding machine in the world.

All of the domes,
rings and barrels

That make up the 171-foot-tall
and 79-foot-wide rocket core

Are welded together
section by section

On this colossal vertical
assembly rig.

Once it's blasted off
from earth,

The core has a life span
of about eight minutes.

After that, it's jettisoned
from the rest of the rocket

And falls back down to earth,
where it lands in the ocean.

Narrator:
The rocket scientists at michoud

Are no strangers to spaceflight.

12, 11, 10, 9...

This super factory
has been central

To america's space program
for more than 50 years.

We have a liftoff.
Liftoff on apollo 11.

Whipps:
We made both gemini spacecraft,

Particularly the first-stage
rockets and the early apollo.

And finally, all the apollo
first-stage rockets

Called the massive saturn 1-c

That took our astronauts
to the moon.

Armstrong:
That's one small step for man.

One giant leap for mankind.

Narrator:
After the final apollo mission,

The factory refocused
its efforts

Towards the space shuttle.

Whipps: From the middle '70s
through 2011,

A total of 138 external tanks

For the space shuttle
were all fabricated here

At the michoud assembly
facility.

Man: Confirm good, solid
rocket-booster separation.

Narrator: But compared
to the space shuttle

Or even the mighty
apollo saturn v,

Building the sls
is a massive task

Because this multi-billion
dollar craft

Is going into deep space.

The space shuttle was just
designed to get to earth orbit

And no further.

So if we're looking at the next
generation of space travel,

Of going to the moon
and even beyond to mars

Or the outer solar system,

We need much more powerful
rockets than we have today.

Narrator: Making the sls
is the biggest challenge

This team here at michoud
has ever faced.

This mission has to go faster
and farther

Than any previous mission
rockets.

And they're making it
with far fewer people.

We are doing something
that's never been done before

On a rocket
that has this kind of power.

Narrator: Construction

Of the space launch system's
rocket core

Is under way at nasa's
michoud assembly facility

In new orleans.

Once complete, the sls

Will be the most powerful rocket
ever built,

Capable of carrying humans
beyond the grasp

Of earth's gravity
and into deep space.

It's a major undertaking,

But this super factory
is fully equipped

With the very latest
in rocket technology.

Whipps:
State-of-the-art tooling,

State-of-the-art
manufacturing techniques

And significant
multidisciplinary people.

We can make a rocket akin

And more powerful
than the apollo-era rockets

With a workforce of somewhere
around 1,500 people,

Compared to nearly twice that
for even the last generation.

Narrator: Technology
has made massive strides

Since the early days of nasa,

But building
this new super rocket

Has tested even
the most experienced engineers.

We are doing something
that's never been done before

On a rocket
that has this kind of power,

That is able to do the payload

And the astronauts
into deep space.

We are going to go further
than we've ever gone before.

So it is extremely complex.

Narrator: Work has already
started on sls 2

And crucial lessons
have been learned.

We've already started building
for stage 2,

And we are seeing dramatic
improvements in productivity

Just from learning
from the very first one.

Narrator: The first sls
is almost complete.

But the team at michoud faces
one more massive challenge...

Moving the rocket core
to the final assembly

And launch site in florida.

But this super factory's
location gives it an advantage.

Dutriex: As you would
understand, you can't ship those

Over the roadways
because they're too large.

What's so unique to michoud is,
is we have a deep-water port

So we can ship
the components out,

The full-sized components
on barges.

Narrator:
Nasa's giant barge, pegasus,

Will make the nearly
932-mile-long journey

To the kennedy space center.

The sls core stage is more
than 49 feet longer

And over 500,000 pounds heavier
than its last cargo...

The space shuttle external tank.

So pegasus had to be lengthened
and refurbished

For this new mission.

By the time the sls blasts off,

Space will be a much more
crowded place.

A growing number
of private companies

Such as spacex,
virgin galactic and boeing,

Are now speeding
toward space exploration.

There are a lot
of private companies

With their own rockets,

Their own missions,
their own goals.

But still,
nasa is a major player.

And the administration
has recently announced plans

To return to the moon.

And if that plan goes through,

Those astronauts to land
on the moon

Will do so on rockets
built at the michoud facility.

Its history in the making,
and this factory is energized

To support the mission
and support the challenge.

To the efforts of the core-stage
production team here at michoud,

We will support yet again a man
and a woman stepping foot

On the surface of the moon.

Narrator:
The moon is just the first stop

For the sls.

Future models
will have 25% more thrust

And be able to reach mars

And other deep-space
destinations.

And that's what makes michoud
a super factory.

How many factories on earth
are making super-giant rockets

To launch us to the edge
of the solar system?

Michoud is.

Narrator: Nasa michoud
was established

At the dawn of the space age

And still has plenty
of busy years ahead.

This rocket super factory
remains at the cutting edge

Of mankind's quest
to explore the universe.

Coming up,
a british chocolate bar

Is bringing good luck to japan.

And later, one of the world's
fastest production lines

Is cooking up an unlikely
new product.

Narrator:
This sprawling giant factory

May look like hundreds of other
industrial plants near tokyo.

But it's actually the epicenter
of japan's chocolate industry.

And inside
the ultra-clean facility,

Workers are gearing up
to put their own spin

On what "time" magazine
has designated

The most influential candy bar
of all time...

The kit kat.

Russell: Kit kats are a big deal
in japan.

They were originally imported

As a traditional, english
chocolate-wafer snack.

But when nestlé decided
to open a factory in japan,

They decided to put
their very own local spin on it.

To appeal to the japanese,

They started producing kit kats
with flavors like soy sauce,

Wasabi and purple potato.

And this policy really paid off

Because the japanese eat
an amazing 4 million

Kit kat every day,

Making kit kat the number-one
japanese chocolate brand.

Narrator: Many unique flavors
of the candy bar are made here

At japan's kit kat
super factory in kasumigaura.

Here,
the basic kit kat ingredients

Are the same
as in the rest of the world...

Wafers smothered in chocolate.

In this highly
automated factory,

The two are brought together
without a human in sight.

First chocolate is heated
and melted,

Then pumped through
to the production line.

The wafers, made mostly
of wheat flour, cocoa and sugar,

Are baked and then slowly moved
along the line to cool.

The first wafer layer
is covered with chocolate.

A second chocolate-coated layer
is placed under the first

And then another

To create the classic
three-wafer kit kat.

With two layers of chocolate
sandwiched in the middle,

The covering
will be added later.

The oversized wafers
continue to cool

As they travel
to the wafer-stacking area.

After the supersized wafers
are stacked,

They're cut down to size.

Then a robotic arm stacks them.

Now they're ready
for the next step...

A thick covering of chocolate.

Chocolate is
an extraordinary material.

It is one of the few stuffs
designed for our pleasure.

It is a material
that is engineered

To make you go, "yum!"
and have another bit.

When we eat chocolate,

All sorts of chemicals
are whizzing 'round our brain.

But basically it produces
neurotransmitters,

Mainly dopamine,
which make us want another bit

And give us huge sensations
of pleasure.

♪♪

Narrator: In japan, kit kats
are a luxury brand.

The options found
in its downtown boutique

Are staggering.

The company has grabbed
the top spot

In the japanese chocolate market
by offering over 350 varieties.

This commercial savvy has its
roots in a business model

Which demands stores
put new products on the shelves

Every two to three weeks.

This means that new flavors
can appear really quickly.

Narrator: Coming up with new
flavors is highly lucrative,

So here in the kit kat
tasting lab,

A team of chefs concocts
all sorts of different recipes.

The experimental flavors
are ground into a powder.

Today, the head of flavor
developments, mr. Nato,

Is trying out sweet potato,

Yuzu, a citrus fruit similar
to lemon,

And a variation
of one of japan's

Favorite kit kat flavors...
Matcha.

This mix has % more
tea leaves for an extra kick.

The wafers are cut to size

And then the new flavors
are blended with chocolate

And poured into molds.

The mini wafers are added
to create a perfect

Bite-sized kit kat.

After cooling,

The factory's professional
tasters are called in.

First up, it's the matcha
with extra tea leaves.

[ woman speaking japanese ]

Next up, sweet potato.

And finally, yuzu.

It won't be long
before the results

Of this tasting session arrive
on japan's retail shelves.

But the standard kit kat bar is
also big in flavor-crazy japan.

That's what's on
the production line today.

In the highly automated factory,

A robotic arm
swings into action,

Ready to insert the wafer
sandwiches into the molds.

The wafers are pressed
into the molds

And covered with more chocolate.

Excess chocolate is removed

By pressing them
under a flat surface.

Now the bars are cooled
to harden the chocolate

Until they're ready
to be removed from the molds.

Nobody wants a kit kat
that's already broken.

So they're x-rayed
and photographed

To ensure the consistency
of every single bar

Coming off the production line.

This factory turns out 4 million
of these bars every day.

At the end of the line, they're
measured out for packaging

Into japan's hugely
popular family-sized multipacks.

But there's an unlikely reason

The japanese love
their kid kats.

And it has nothing to do
with the flavor.

When the japanese visit
ancient shrines,

It's customary to make wishes
and pray for good luck.

Once the wish is made,

Many people
make a small donation.

Kit kats play an unusual role
in this tradition.

About 15 years ago,
the boffins at kit kat

Noticed huge sales spikes
in January.

Well, they wondered why.

What they realized
was university entrance exams

Take place in January.

And people were giving students
kit kats as good-luck charms.

Narrator: The fact
that the japanese phrase

"kitto katsu" literally
means "sure to win"

Is the stuff
of a marketing team's dreams.

Today's production of kit kats
are now packed and boxed...

...Ready to satisfy the
voracious japanese demand

For these chocolate
good-luck charms.

All made here at kasumigaura,

Japan's very own
kit kat super factory.

♪♪

Coming up, a lightning-fast
production line

Is cooking up a product
with an important history.

Russell:
For much of the 19th century,

It was used as rations
for the american navy.

Narrator: On the north coast
of England is a factory

That makes an old
but reliable product.

This is heinz, wigan,

Covering a massive 236,806
square feet,

Around 40 football fields.

It's the largest
food-processing plant in europe

And the biggest baked-bean
factory in the world.

850 people
work here day and night,

Producing 4 million cans
of food a day,

Over 1 billion a year.

60% of them are baked beans.

Every week, 661 tons
of steel plate

Arrives at heinz, wigan.

It's sent to one of the most
modern and automated parts

Of the site.

The canning plant here
is one of the most advanced

And fastest in the world.

It can belt out a staggering
4,500 cans every minute.

♪♪

The humble tin can is truly

One of the building blocks
of the modern world.

They were invented
just over 200 years ago.

And the first commercial
canning factory

Was in east london in 1813.

We've gone from the original,
rather crude template canisters

Made by hand
to today's lightweight,

Completely recyclable
containers.

But the design principles
are effectively still the same.

And the can still preserves and
endures like no other packaging.

That's why in the u.S. Alone,
every year,

130 billion of them are made.

That's over 400 per person.

Narrator: The metal is mostly
steel with a thin coating of tin

On the outside
to stop oxidation.

0.3-millimeter-thick sheets
are cut,

Rolled into tubes,

Then electrically
welded and sealed.

Heinz veteran john brockley
oversees this process.

At this stage, the base
of the can remains open

And for one
very important reason.

It's time to fill it
with something.

♪♪

Every week, over 1,200 tons
of haricot beans

Arrive at wigan, shipped in
from north america.

Russell: The haricot bean
is native to south america

And the variety
used in canned baked beans

Is often referred to
as the navy bean,

Because for much
of the 19th century,

It was used as rations
for the american navy.

Narrator: Just two hours
after their arrival,

The beans are in their tins
and stored in a warehouse.

But not all of the dry beans
will complete that trip.

They face a stringent
series of tests

As they travel
across this huge factory.

The beans are covered in dirt,

So they head to the washer
to be cleaned.

The blanching process rehydrates
the beans with steaming water,

Partially cooking them.

After 20 minutes,
the beans are inspected

By a high-spec laser beam.

The ones that don't
shape up, size or color-wise,

Are discarded.

Russell: Laser sorting has
revolutionized

Counting technology
in the last 20 or 30 years.

Lasers can sort in various ways.

For instance, when the light
from a laser bounces

Off the surface of a bean,

It tells us about its texture
and its structure.

Narrator: They've been sorted,
sifted, washed and blanched

And are on their way
to the canning plant.

But opening up a can of beans
would be a major disappointment

Without one key element

And a few top-secret
ingredients.

Narrator: After they've been
sorted, cleaned and blanched,

It's time to add
the key ingredients

That give heinz beans
their distinct flavor.

Almost half of what goes
into every tin

Is this thick,
bright-red liquid.

It's tomato sauce,

An ingredient
heinz takes seriously,

Very seriously.

The paste arrives from Italy,
Spain, and california,

Prepacked in heavy-duty
bulk bags.

These bags are the end result
of pulping 10,000

Juicy, ripe tomatoes.

Every day they process enough

To fill an olympic-sized
swimming pool.

Narrator: So how do you squeeze
out 4 tons of tomato paste

Without making the plant
resemble a crime scene?

You need one of these...

A tomato pulp extractor.

Once extracted,

The freshly squeezed paste
is diluted with water

And ends up
in one of these massive vats.

Now it's time to add
a very special ingredient.

The secret recipe for heinz
baked beans dates back to 1896

And is closely guarded
in the world of food processing.

The exact amount of the mix
has to be perfect.

Just 27 minutes
into the process,

It's time to combine
the beans and sauce

And add them to the cans.

When you're turning out
around 4 million cans

Of beans a day,
you have to be fast-moving.

And the factory's
very latest production line

Is turbo-charged.

The beans are now sealed
in their cans,

But they're far from baked.

In fact, they're still uncooked.

The next step is
the most surprising part

Of the whole heinz
baked bean process.

The sealed cans of beans

Continually turn
in these giant rotating ovens...

...While getting blasted
with steam.

So baked beans
are not actually baked.

And although they're cooked
by steam,

It is on the outside of the can.

They effectively cook
in their own sauce.

Once cooked,

One of the 57 famous labels
are attached

At an astonishing rate
of 1,000 per minute.

♪♪

But precooked, preserved food
may never have happened

Without a french discovery.

What made modern canned
food possible

Was a discovery at the very end
of the 18th century

That if you heated food
inside of a sealed jar,

It would last longer.

That observation was made

By a french chef
named nicolas appert,

Who was responding
to napoleon's challenge

To more effectively feed
his troops during a campaign.

Narrator: It takes just two
hours to turn bags

Of dusty navy beans into
a product ready for shipping.

Loaded trucks are ready
to distribute baked beans

To over 60 countries worldwide.

And this process continues
day in and day out

Here at the world's biggest
baked bean super factory.