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Air & Space Magazine

A Boeing 767-300 lands on Los Angeles International Airport’s runway 25L.

The Power of 25

Think of it as a crash course in aeronautical trivia.

After World War II, Yuri’s father Alexei disassembled the family home and moved it to Gzhatsk (now Gagarin), where it is a museum.

The Family He Left Behind

Fifty years ago, Yuri Gagarin left earth. When he came back, everything changed.

Media coverage of the Bay of Pigs fiasco was unbridled. Far right: the narrator, as a staff sergeant in the Alabama Air National Guard in the 1950s.

Above and Beyond

Mission: Cuba. Status: Top secret.

NASA’s outhouse.

Last Bathroom for 200 Miles

When an astronaut’s gotta go…

Crew chief Dick Lofland, left, with pilot Bob Ferry before the record-setting flight.

Moments and Milestones: Now, That’s Good Mileage

Moments and Milestones: Now, That’s Good Mileage

During World War II, Navy Commander Paul Garber developed a target kite (bearing the silhouette of a Japanese aircraft) for U.S. Navy ship-to-air gunnery practice.

In the Museum

Paul Garber: Eyewitness to History

George Mueller follows the progress of the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969.

A&S Interview: George Mueller

One of the guiding geniuses behind the Apollo program

Almost finished: NASA's Michael Suffredini, with a model of the International Space Station.

Assembly (Nearly) Complete

NASA’s space station manager looks back with satisfaction at one of history’s greatest construction projects.

The space shuttle Endeavour is seen on launch pad 39a as a storm passes by prior to the rollback of the Rotating Service Structure (RSS), Thursday, April 28, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. During the 14-day mission, Endeavour and the STS-134 crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) and spare parts including two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for Dextre. Launch is targeted for Friday, April 29 at 3:47 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)d

Waiting It Out

Sometimes the APU is more trouble than the weather.

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It’s Fun to be Rich

On May 5, 2011,  Bonhams auction house will hold its annual space history sale. (The date commemorates the 50th anniversary of Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard’s suborbital flight in Freedom 7.) Some 250 items are up for grabs, a few coming from the Forbes Collection, others from the personal collect…

April 6, 2011 San Francisco-"MY OTHER RIDE IS A SPACESHIP"- A new Virgin America A320 aptly named "My Other Ride is a Spaceship" flys in tandem with White Knight2 carrying Spaceship 2 April 6, 2011. The aircraft were on their way to landing at San Francisco International Airport as the first aircraft to arrive at the new $388 million 640,000 square foot Terminal 2, which is slated to be the first LEED-GOLD certified airport in the nation. Guests onboard the A320 included Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson and astronaut Buzz Aldrin. credit: Mark Greenberg/Virgin America NO SALES handout photo

Airplane, Spaceship

The lines are blurring.

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Helicopter Missions: The Taliban Gambit

It’s summer 2005. In Afghanistan, a four-man U.S. Navy SEAL team has been ambushed by the Taliban.

WAVES Parachute Rigger 3rd Class demonstrating parachute packing tools and techniques.

Parachuteless Freaks

Their parachutes didn’t open..and they survived

Bombardier Tony Pastula, pilot Harold Dixon, and radioman Gene Aldrich (left to right), survived 34 days afloat on a tiny raft.

Stranded at Sea

Blazing sun, a pitching sea, and hungry sharks—and that was just the start of their troubles.

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Young Artists and the 50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight

Each year, the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) and the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) organize an art contest meant to encourage young people to become familiar with (and participate in) aeronautics, engineering, and science.”The quality of the art we see is unbeliev…

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Happy Earth Day

An Earth Day Valentine, from Nicole Stott.

An Aviation Electronics Technician inspects the radar of an EA-6B Prowler, presumably to address that pesky humming sound.

Inside Joke

Sometimes aircraft maintenance IS a laughing matter

110211-N-2688M-142 SAN DIEGO (Feb. 11, 2011) A functional replica of a Curtiss A-1 Triad seaplane skims the water in San Diego Bay in front of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) during a demonstration at Naval Air Station North Island. The A-1 Triad was the first Navy plane purchased by the Navy. The A-1 Triad was the first plane purchased by the Navy. The A-1 Triad replica is taking part in the Centennial of Naval Aviation Open House and Parade of Flight event on Feb. 12. The Navy is observing the Centennial of Naval Aviation with a series of nationwide events celebrating 100 years of heritage, progress and achievement in naval aviation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joseph Moon/Released)

Triad

The earliest U.S. Navy aircraft.

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“Embrace the end of human spaceflight!”

“let us sit upon the ground. And tell sad stories of the death of kings” – Richard II, Act III, Scene 2

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Kinect to the Universe

I became fascinated by the Xbox 360 Kinect system long before it hit the stores—back when Microsoft was still developing it under the name Project Natal. The commercial product hasn’t yet delivered on the full promise of this demo, but I expect that it will, and fairly soon. Kinect is already the f…

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