September 2017
Smithsonian magazine delivers trusted and incisive reporting on history, science, nature, culture and travel.
Features
‘I Told Them It Was a Terrible Idea.’
A paramotor race over mountains and desert.
Super Helmet
F-35 pilots get X-ray vision and other magic powers.
Fake Mars
Can we learn anything by pretending?
I Love My Job, and Here’s How I Got It
Connor Shields, first officer, Southern Air.
Space Camp May Be Habit Forming
When camp is a career path.
What Helicopter Climbs the Fastest?
This 1971 record still stands.
The Real Risk Takers
In 1930s aviation, they weren’t adventurers or record setters. They were everyday passengers.
In Pursuit of the Perfect Spacesuit
Choosing the right outfit is crucial when its job is to save your life.
Robots to the Rescue
Your next 911 call may fetch a drone.
Snakes and Loaches
During the helicopter war, two vastly different aircraft relied on each other to fight the enemy.
Departments
Don Campbell
An expert on maintenance of the Lockheed SR-71 Mach 3 reconnaissance aircraft, Campbell was the SR-71 Superintendent at both Kadena Air Base in Okinawa and later at Beale Air Force Base in California in the 1970s.