CURRENT ISSUE
August 2019
Features
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David Martin, Marathon Man
Airshow star David Martin always wondered what it would be like to fly every day.
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Like Birds
It may not be as popular as it once was, but its fans say it is still the purest form of flight.
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The First Photograph of Another Earth
Astronomers are working today on the camera that will see habitable planets in other solar systems.
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Wildfire Wars
With a squadron of ancient airplanes, these firefighters are usually the first on the scene.
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Moon Rush
The first U.S. moonshot was done in a decade. Can NASA make it in half that time?
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The Helicopter Goes to War
Toward the end of WW2, the strange new craft became vital in guerrilla warfare.
Departments
A Procession of Explorers
From the Director of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum
L'anniversaire d'or
A Piece of IceCube Arrives at the Smithsonian
An Arctic sensor finally gets its day in the sun.
Collision Course: Bald Eagles Like to Lounge at Airports
GPS tracking of the birds’ flight paths might offer a solution.
How to Turn a Freeway into a Runway
Taiwan conducts an emergency drill to keep its aircraft flying.
How to Be a Space Tourist
Beth Moses, the chief astronaut instructor at Virgin Galactic, will train the people who want to fly on SpaceShipTwo.
Fat Albert’s Last Flight
The Prowler's Last Prowl
The iconic Northrop Grumman EA-6B flies into history—and the National Air and Space Museum collection.
A Career Built on Flying Models
RJ Gritter of Aurora Flight Sciences explains why he loves his job.
My Apollo Adventure
The week of my 18th birthday, I drove 1,100 miles to Kennedy Space Center to watch a Saturn V rocket launch men to the moon.
Voyager
Designed to explore the outer planets of the solar system, the 40-year-old twins have since traveled beyond it.