July 2016
Smithsonian magazine delivers trusted and incisive reporting on history, science, nature, culture and travel.
Features
Airbus Lands in Mobile
Half a century after the largest base closure in U.S. history, Mobile is once more an aviation town.
Listen to the Nearest Million Stars
The search for extraterrestrials expands.
Mars, Underground
Looking for life on other planets? Go deep.
Sailplane to the Stratosphere
Perlan 2 goes for 90,000 feet.
Best Shots
Winners of the 3rd annual Air & Space photo contest.
Robert Taylor’s People and Planes Reunion
Stop for a spell in the Golden Age.
Departments
No Predators? Call in a Cessna!
Small airplanes sometimes act as surrogates in live training exercises.
Chimp Island
Near Fort Pierce, Florida is a sanctuary for the descendants of the original astrochimps.
How Much of the Sky Do You Own?
Frightened chickens once determined in court how high airplanes could fly over your property.
Ten Great Moments in Aerospace History
And you can learn about all of them in one trip to the National Air and Space Museum.
Legend of the Bush Pilot
Alaska’s Skyboys: Cowboy Pilots and the Myth of the Last Frontier