CURRENT ISSUE
June/July 2020
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Features
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Narcodrones
How many quadcopters are smuggling drugs across the U.S. southern border? Nobody knows.
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Armada to Mars
Next month, three countries head off to the Red Planet.
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Junkyard Warbird
A Nakajima KI-43 Hayabusa could be the first homebuilt to be built of actual pieces of a home.
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The First Air Force One
When Dwight Eisenhower was president, he traveled in style. Now a team is restoring his airplane to presidential perfection.
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Woman in Control
As Holly Ridings takes the helm of Houston’s famed Mission Control center, another glass ceiling breaks.
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A Dare Turned Deadly
For World War II P-38 pilots flying in the Pacific, the line between duty and ambition began to blur.
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Trash to Treasure
Intended to be tossed, ephemera from the last 100 years tell the history of aeronautics.
Departments
Journeys to Other Worlds
From the Director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum
Storm Chasers in Outer Space
Scientists hope to develop an early-warning system for hailstorms of radioactive particles.
Barry Eccleston
The recently retired CEO of Airbus Americas talks about finally finding time to become a better pilot.
My Duel with a Tweet
The Cessna T-37 trainer is a fun airplane to fly. Why couldn’t I master this one simple procedure?
Where Everyone Can Tour the Solar System—and Beyond
Scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum bring the planets to the public.
Fate of Four
What were the chances that four American Hellcat pilots sent into combat as World War II was ending in the Pacific would return to their aircraft carrier off the coast of Japan?