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Air & Space Magazine

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Airmail Odyssey

Three historic mailplanes commemorated the anniversary of U.S. airmail by tracing the original coast-to-coast route.

A century-old Wright Flyer comes to life this weekend in Virginia.

1908 All Over Again

A century-old Wright Flyer comes to life this weekend in Virginia.

Reno, Nevada, Postmaster Austin Jackson (left) hands a mail bag to pilot Harry Huking in his DH-4 mailplane, July 1924.

From Reno to San Francisco

Pilots flying the mail cross-country in 1921 followed these directions to find landmarks along the way.

A Varney Air Lines Swallow outside the airmail hangar at Elko, Nevada in April 1926.

The Route: Rock Springs to Reno

Pilots flying the mail cross-country in 1921 followed these directions to find landmarks along the way.

A light beacon tower (used for night flying) on the airmail field in North Platte, Nebraska in the mid-1920s. The field boundary light is visible in the right foreground.

The Route: North Platte to Rock Springs

Pilots flying the mail cross-country in 1921 followed these directions to find landmarks along the way.

DH-4 mailplanes at Fort Crook airfield, Omaha, Nebraska, in the mid-1920s.

The Route: Iowa City to North Platte

Pilots flying the mail cross-country in 1921 followed these directions to find landmarks along the way.

Aerial view of an airmail light beacon tower, somewhere along the New York to Chicago route, in the mid-1920s.

The Route: Cleveland to Iowa City

Pilots flying the mail cross-country in 1921 followed these directions to find landmarks along the way.

Landing field at Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, October 1935. Note the "large white circle" called out in the directions.

The Route: Long Island to Cleveland

Pilots flying the mail cross-country in 1921 followed these directions to find landmarks along the way.

Rosetta heads for a stony close encounter.

Deciphering an Asteroid

Rosetta heads for a stony close encounter.

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The Shuttle Mission No One Wants

If STS-400 launches, be prepared for one of the most dramatic spaceflights ever.

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Need for Speed

Airplanes with a mission: Fly faster.

National Archives

Vietnam Memoir

Stories from the war that shaped a generation.

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Airmail Odyssey: 1918-2008

In September 2008, three historic mailplanes marked the anniversary of U.S. airmail by tracing the original coast-to-coast route.

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Oldies andOddities: Zeppo’s Gizmo

Oldies and Oddities: Zeppo’s Gizmo

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Above & Beyond: I Have a Flameout

Above & Beyond: I Have a Flameout

Incoming correspondence is "triaged," says volunteer Guy Halford-MacLeod, who tracked down the 1963 Ozark Airline timetable to answer a recent query.

Mail Call

Need information? The National Air and Space Museum answers more than 3,300 questions each year.

Brooks Bash (center) oversees the training of Iraqi pilots and ground crew.

Commanding the Air Force Transition Team in Iraq

U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Brooks Bash talks about his position.

The X-7 mounted on its B-29 carrier.

Moments and Milestones: Hits and Missiles

Produced in cooperation with the National Aeronautic Association

Early fighter helmets, like this 1950s-era Navy APH-5, were rugged but dumb.

Then & Now: Hard Hat Zone

Then & Now: Hard Hat Zone

The book that robbed the enemy of his secrets. A key to shapes shows a circle can be a haystack or a gun emplacement.

Portrait of the Enemy

Photographs taken from the world’s first warplanes changed the course of battle.

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