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March 2013

Smithsonian magazine delivers trusted and incisive reporting on history, science, nature, culture and travel.

Features

Xichang

Disaster at Xichang

An eyewitness speaks publicly for the first time about history’s worst launch accident

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8

Even Lindbergh got lost.

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A World War I Aircraft Enthusiast’s Collection Tracks the Evolution of the Species

Javier Arango goes on a mission to find authenticity by reconstructing airplanes.

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The Misty Mystique

Over Vietnam, F-100 pilots flew fast and low. Later, they hit the heights.

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Into The Great Unknown

The Voyagers begin the first real star trek.

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Departments

Viewport

Viewport

Timing is everything

In the Museum

A Tale of Two Satellites

An artifact returns to service after being on display for eight years.

Above & Beyond

Nuke the Pilot

Operation Redwing tested aircraft vulnerabilities to atomic blasts.

Oldies and Oddities

The Flying Crane

Test pilot Gale Moore rose to the challenge of the XH-17.

Uncategorized

The 727 Turns Fifty

Once a best-seller, the airliner’s pilots still swear by it.