July 2005
Smithsonian magazine delivers trusted and incisive reporting on history, science, nature, culture and travel.
Features
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The Notorious Flight of Mathias Rust
Ronald Reagan was president, there was still a Soviet Union, and a 19-year-old pilot set out to change the world
Confessions of a Spaceship Pilot
If you fall off your horse...
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Leroy's Launch
To watch a friend begin his expedition to the International Space Station, our correspondent travels to emptiest Kazakhstan.
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People and Planes of Creve Coeur
In the department of flood recovery, Noah and his ark got nuthin' on the folks at this little airport-except that many of the aircraft they saved are ones, not twos, of a kind.
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Debrief: Hyper-X
Scramjet power? Simple: Keep a match lit in a 7,000-mph wind.
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Robo Repairmen
It's getting harder to find good help these days. So these space engineers built their own
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Cold Front
Meet the men who kept the Thunderbolts flying.