CURRENT ISSUE
April/May 2020
Features
:focal(3135x1555:3136x1556)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/a7/ad/a7adbc64-3ac0-44fb-89b8-7ce7a91fedcb/12b_am2020_sunset_live.jpg)
Universe the Movie
The Universe in time-lapse.
:focal(1676x1461:1677x1462)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/43/9a/439adc28-9051-4f95-b360-eda4070fa46d/08i_am2020_openerskyboeing727_68929837_live.jpg)
Recovery From a Deep Stall
Lyle Prouse was trained to maintain control in the air, but he had to learn to do it in life.
:focal(372x240:373x241)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/b4/5d/b45d780b-fb4d-4673-896a-8b6e0c7508a5/ascension_de_madame_garnerin_le_28_mars_1802_v2_lib_of_congress.jpg)
The Mysterious Madame Johnson
In 1825, a balloonist named “Madame Johnson” took to the skies over New York. Who was she?
:focal(1164x1532:1165x1533)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/9d/dd/9ddd6eea-3474-496e-8c47-a80c6a8fdbd2/04a_am2020_f15eagle016edit_live.jpg)
The Shocking Resurrection of the F-15
Who says you can’t teach an old Eagle new tricks?
:focal(507x443:508x444)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/0c/b5/0cb5db21-5a15-4b92-9100-0c9e7ab4ecb8/bennu_1024.png)
Touch-and-Go on an Asteroid
The Osiris-Rex spacecraft is on its way to fetch souvenirs from the birth of the solar system.
:focal(360x596:361x597)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/21/8d/218d4a04-1420-4772-9449-605b5fdd9239/07a_am2020_112squadronnevillebowksbowker_live.jpg)
When the Shark Bites
The Tomahawk was not the first airplane to wear its trademark nose art.
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/a6/fb/a6fb012e-6460-4900-87f0-6c96788286ea/03d_am2020_-_img003_live.jpg)
Bazooka Charlie’s Grasshopper
The most famous small airplane of the war is about to fly again.
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/a8/1c/a81c3652-546d-44f5-9e51-c667b92d6c23/29c_am2020_c46kan_live.jpg)
World War II’s Strangest Bombing Mission
The RAF knew how to cut the power on propaganda.
Departments
Less Told Tales of World War II
Revitalization also means commemorating World War II in unfamiliar ways.
Midway Memorial
Made for the movie Midway, it looks like it could have flown the historic mission.
Command and Control at Sea
Aircraft carriers are being readied for next-generation warfare that relies on unmanned aerial vehicles.
When Apollo Went to Japan
At Expo ’70, I was the happy ambassador for the U.S. Space program.
Transformation and Revitalization Behind-the-Scenes
Protecting precious artifacts during the National Air and Space Museum’s multi-year revitalization.
What Really Happened in Korea
It was a long, hard fight for both the communist and United Nations jet pilots who battled for the right to rule MiG alley.