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Air & Space Magazine

The author (center) and the other members of his “stick” prepare to board the Douglas C-47 Skytrain that will carry them to 1,500 feet for their first jump over Frederick, Oklahoma, July 2019.

Jumping Into the Past With the World War II Airborne Demo Team

The year was 2019, but to us it felt more like 1944.

Chris Goyne inspects the test section of the Supersonic Combustion Facility at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

The Wind Tunnel Maestro

Fascinated by hypersonic flight, Chris Goyne has spent years studying exotic forms of propulsion.

An artist’s concept shows NASA’s two Voyager spacecraft sailing beyond our solar bubble into interstellar space.

As Voyager 2 Gets Farther From the Sun, Space Gets Less Empty

The intrepid explorer is still plumbing the mysteries of the interstellar medium.

The Bell APT 70 drone flies above the Trinity River in Texas during a September 28 test flight. The drone takes off vertically, then transitions to flying like an airplane, which increases speed and range.

Medical Supply Drones Pass a Critical Test

Aerial deliveries of blood and other life-saving cargo could be a reality within a few years.

After decades in development, the Hubble Space Telescope has for 30 years revealed details about stars and galaxies—and merging galaxies, like NGC 4676, known for the two long tails of stars as “The Mice.”

For Scientists, NASA Missions Are Like Generation Ships

It takes years of preparation to produce years of data.

Looks like Mars, but it's not. A layer of the clay mineral smectite was found beneath the surface in the Yungay region of the hyperarid Atacama desert (pictured here).

A New Place to Look for Life on Mars

…or at least evidence of past biology.

On September 3, 1925, the USS Shenandoah was torn apart by the force of violent updrafts over Ohio. Wreckage was scattered over several miles.

The Museum That Fell From the Sky

An Ohio native preserves the story of the Navy’s first rigid airship.

Bloodhound in afterburner.

800 MPH in a Jet-Powered Car

Bloodhound LSR rides the highway to the danger zone.

An artist’s rendering of the new America by Air gallery, which will open in 2022.

America by Air: The People Behind the Pilots

A new Museum gallery tells stories of the people who built the airlines. Here are the stories of the people who keep them running today.

The Northrop Alpha’s transitional design combined both past and present; it’s one of many artifacts marking a milestone in the history of air transportation.

America by Air: Jack Northrop’s ‘Beautiful Ship’

In 1931, a six-passenger airplane hinted at the many aeronautical wonders to come.

Known as “the first modern airliner,” the Boeing 247 entered service with United Air Lines in 1933. The improved 247-D (the model in the Museum) could fly 200 mph, twice as fast as a Ford Tri-Motor.

America by Air: A New Gallery Takes Shape

The National Air and Space Museum exhibit tells the epic story of air travel.

Projected to grow to 16,000 troops, the Space Force will be by far the smallest branch of the U.S. military.

The Space Force Turns One

The newest branch of the U.S. armed services pitches its tent on a vast battlefield.

Bill Ingalls (bottom right) in a helicopter prior to taking off for an air-to-air shoot. His first gig was an internship at NASA as a writer and producer, doing TV work.

The Man Who Photographs Rocket Launches for a Living

Bill Ingalls documents the U.S. space program, with an eye for emotion.

The dust rings of the Andromeda Galaxy stand out in this infrared image taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope. Astronomers have discovered even brighter infrared galaxies that have inspired some imaginative explanations.

The Weirdest Objects in the Universe

With a new encyclopedia, seekers for intelligent life ask astronomers to reexamine the sky.

The National Air and Space Museum's newest acquisition arrives at its new home: the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

The National Air and Space Museum Gets Its First F/A-18 Fighter

A Hornet comes to Hazy.

A Long March rocket sits ready on the pad at China's Wenchang spaceport to launch the country's next moon lander.

China Launches Its Most Ambitious Moon Mission Yet

Another big step for the current world leaders in lunar exploration.

Historic rockets on display at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida (including, from left, variants of Atlas, Redstone, Thor, and Jupiter) can all trace their engine heritage to the propulsion research of George Sutton.

George Sutton, the (Other) Father of American Rocketry

Born 100 years ago, he left his mark on nearly every major launch vehicle of the 20th century.

Conditions on early Earth may not have been so different from conditions on K2-141b today.

The Most Hellish Planet Yet

In a place where it rains rocks, we can exclude life for sure, right?

Trilobites were among the casualties of the great mass extinction at the end of the Permian era.

An Environmental Horror Story

The Permian mass extinction, 252 million years ago, has lessons for today.

The European Mars Express spacecraft captured this image of icy Korolev crater on Mars in 2018.

When Asteroid Impacts Are a Good Thing

Craters could create habitable conditions on many planets and moons.

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