What does "Crossing the straights" mean?

Question

I am reading a screenplay of movie Interstellar. At the beginning of the movie the actor is shown trying to control his buffeting aircraft. He is given the following instructions from the control room:

Crossing the Straights ... shutting
it down, Cooper. Shutting it all
down ...

What does "Crossing the straights" mean in above sentence?

See link to watch the corresponding clip LINK

PV22 · Answer

Though I have never heard the specific phrasing "crossing the straits", perhaps it is referring the following definition:

Strait
[streyt]
/noun

(Often straits) a position of difficulty, distress, or need.

Source: Dictionary.com

If this is accurate, perhaps the phrase would mean, "crossing" the threshold into a level of serious distress. Hence the command stops the tests by powering down the aircraft, rather than allowing the test to continue.
Alternately, if it may be referencing a specific geographic location being used as a landmark in the test. However, I don't believe there is any way to corroborate that, since there is neither visual indication in the movie shot, nor any reference to it elsewhere in the film.

Strait
[streyt]
/noun

(Often straits, used with a singular verb) a narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water.

Source: Dictionary.com

Sanna · Answer

I think it is a shortening for the stratosphere. Later in the movie Cooper says "i have barely left the stratosphere" --> when the aircraft/spaceship was shut down he was just on his way to cross the stratosphere --> the man in the control room must refer to the stratosphere when he says "crossing the straights" (or maybe strats?)
It could also refer to a a narrow passage of water connecting two seas or two other large areas of water.
Read here for more information about the crash:
https://interstellarfilm.fandom.com/wiki/Ranger_Test_Ship

What does "Crossing the straights" mean?

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