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Air & Space Magazine

Following successful trials resupplying troops in Afghanistan, the U.S. Marine Corps brought the uncrewed K-MAX to Yuma, Arizona, to experiment with better integrating drones into the force.

Robots to the Rescue

Your next 911 call may fetch a drone.

Connor Shields in the cockpit of a 777, which he flies around the world for Southern Air. The company provides long-haul cargo service, operating 777 and 737 freighters, for customers like DHL. Shields’ first flight—at age four—was in a Douglas DC‑3.

The Youngest 777 First Officer In the World

Connor Shields, First Officer, Southern Air

In Leesburg, Virginia, air traffic controllers are testing a remote system featuring a 360-degree display and cameras they can control to pan the airspace or zoom in on a single airplane.

Remote Viewing Could Revolutionize Air Traffic Control

The Japanese Hinode satellite observed the Moon blocking the face of the sun during a solar eclipse in 2009.

The Moon, Front and Center

The upcoming eclipse reminds us of the Moon’s proximity.

The Gulfstream V operated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research will spend four minutes under totality by flying along the eclipse path.

Chasing the Eclipse at 45,000 Feet

Researchers aboard a Gulfstream V will study the sun’s rarely-seen outer atmosphere.

Marine Sgt. John P. Hawkings would like to introduce your drone to his Stinger surface-to-air missile

You’ve Been Warned: Keep Your Drones Away From Military Bases

It won’t be long before the first legal shoot-down of an unpiloted intruder.

If only it were this easy.

No, Quantum Teleportation Won’t Let Us Send Instant Messages to Alpha Centauri

Quantum computers may have other benefits for space exploration, however.

Pilotless aircraft are already banned from some locations, and lately their software has come under scrutiny.

It’s Been a Bad Week for Chinese Drone Maker DJI

The world’s largest hobby UAV manufacturer takes a beating in the news.

Tardigrades are tough, but they still have to eat sometime.

What Would It Take to Wipe Out All Life on Earth?

Hard to say, but a recent study paints too happy a picture.

No longer Army material: DJI's Inspire 1 drone.

U.S. Army Puts a Halt to Its Use of Chinese-Made DJI Drones

Security concerns lead to ban of a popular brand of UAV.

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Tire Shreds

A B-52H Stratofortress shredded its tire upon landing at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

A Spitfire Mk II of 72 Squadron over the northeast coast of Britain, April 1941. “After the Battle of Britain,” writes historian Ian Carter, “RAF Fighter Command went on the offensive, carrying out sweeps over the fringes of enemy-occupied Europe. The aim was to tie down Luftwaffe fighter squadrons. But RAF fighters lacked the range to penetrate far inland, and losses were heavy. 560 aircraft were lost in 1941 alone.”

WWII, As It Really Looked

A new book showcases long-forgotten color images of Britain in the Second World War.

A drone overflies a cherry orchard in Denmark

Automating Farming from the Sky

Agricultural drones don’t get the attention they deserve.

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Crab Remnant

A new image from a slew of space telescopes — Hubble, Chandra, Spitzer, XMM-Newton — and the Very Large Array ground-based radio telescope, show this supernova remnant in the Crab Nebula in gorgeous detail.

Laughing to keep from crying, Peggy Whitson says goodbye to crewmates Thomas Pesquet (back left) and Oleg Novitskiy (back right), with Jack “2Fish” Fisher and Fyodor Yurchikhin by her side.

Comings and Goings in the NASA Family

An emotional sendoff for a space station crew

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Into the Mist

A pararescueman jumps from an HH-60G Pave Hawk during an exhibition at Miami Beach, Florida.

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Seoul in Color

This false-color image from the PROBA-V satellite shows the Han River Delta in South Korea.

A lava fountain at the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii.

Ashes and Water

Despite new findings about lunar water, it still makes sense to mine ice at the poles.

Ok, but try enforcing it.

Anti-Drone Technology Could Become a Billion-Dollar Business

Demand for drone countermeasures is growing rapidly.

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In for Maintenance

A B-52H Stratofortress gets maintenance at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.

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