March 2014
Smithsonian magazine delivers trusted and incisive reporting on history, science, nature, culture and travel.
Features

Astronauts Waiting for a Ride
Now that the space shuttle's gone, what do astronauts do?

The Outrageous Adolescence of the F-16
Small, fast, and in your face

Prize Photos
Presenting the First Air & Space Photo Contest Winners

DEFCON 3
Checklist for war

News from the Dawn of Time
Will a new picture of the universe’s first light overturn a theory that has reigned for 30 years?

Letters From a JN-4 Pilot
“Give me a Lewis gun in the cockpit of a fast fighter plane, and I know that I’d be satisfied with life.”

Destination Earth
If aliens were sending a probe to study this planet, where would you tell it to land?

And We Could Not Fail
How NASA became part of the nation's the civil rights revolution