CURRENT ISSUE
December/January 2018

Features
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Down to Earth
The new U.S. astronaut taxis won't roll to a gentle stop.
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Afghan Air
Corruption. Terrain. Goats on the runway. Everything conspires against civil aviation in Afghanistan.
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A Petrel’s Strange Journey
Why a rare British sailplane survived.
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The Man Who Won the Moon Race
George Low’s idea to shoot for the moon in 1968 may have been Apollo’s boldest decision.
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Earthrise, Reprised
Artists celebrate the 50th anniversary of the planet’s most famous portrait.
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How to Weigh a Galaxy
Hint: Consult its neighbors.
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Vinh Long Easter Sunday
From a long war, veterans of the 175th Assault Helicopter Company will never forget one awful day.
Departments
Soundings
Get Tuned and Ready for a Space Jam
Gamma ray bells? A gravitational cello? This instrument maker starts by assuming his listeners aren’t human.
In the Museum
It Found What the Moon's Made of
In the 1990s, this modest lunar orbiter found out what the moon is made of.