Needle in a haystack

The picture shows the High Altitude Long Range Aircraft (HALO) from the german institution DLR, right before take-off, during the scientific campaign WISE (Wave driven Isentropic Exchange). The inlets of the different measuring instruments can be seen on top of the aircraft, with which atmospheric trace gases are measured. The long focal length used (250mm mirror lens) exaggerates the massiveness of the aircraft, while the focus is still on the instrument inlets.
Message of the picture would be something something how we try to gain knowledge about the gigantic system "earth atmosphere" by performing needlestick-like flights trough it, even more impressive when you keep in mind how tiny the inlets and therefore the measured air samples are.

Minolta XD7 / Minolta RF Rokkor 250mm F5.6
Ilford hp5+ @ iso1600
13minutes in Ilford DD-X
Enlarged on Ilford Multigrade FB Classic Matt 5K @3