May 2014
Smithsonian magazine delivers trusted and incisive reporting on history, science, nature, culture and travel.
Features
The Spacewalk That Almost Killed Him
How Luca Parmitano survived the scariest wardrobe malfunction in NASA history.
Cops and Robots
Law enforcement prepares for its newest rookies: drones.
Slow Boat to Space
A little company dreams of replacing rocket power with buoyancy.
Comet Chaser
A European spacecraft is about to make history’s first landing on a comet.
Solo Around the World
Twenty-seven years after Amelia Earhart tried, Geraldine Mock did it.
Old, Bold Pilots
In Oceanside, California, there are 300 of them. And oh, the stories they tell.
Q: What Fighter Pilot Used Gum on His Windscreen as a Gunsight?
The answer* is in a new Air & Space trivia book, guaranteed to win your bar bets.
The Puzzle of Vertical Takeoff
Followed by the failure of vertical landing.
The Most Talented Aviation Pioneer You’ve Never Heard of
Starling Burgess beat the Wright brothers at their own game.
Departments
The Great Pacific Roller Coaster Ride
My flight through a Pacific thunderstorm in 1945.
When Failure Was an Option
When Reagan fired air traffic controllers in 1981, replacements had to be found. Not everyone who tried out made the cut.