Air & Space Magazine

None

Mt. Rainier's Shadow

Mt. Rainier makes for a lovely backdrop as an Alaska Airlines 737 takes off from Sea-Tac Airport in Seattle, Washington.

Blood Falls at Antarctica’s Taylor Glacier.

Microbes Under Antarctica

Water basins found beneath the Taylor Valley have implications for finding life on Mars.

None

Liberation of Holland

Dutch civilians wave at Allied B-17s flying over in 1945.

More Stearmans are flying today—about 1,000—than any other type of World War II trainer. Each one in the group appearing in the Arsenal of Democracy flyover is owned by an individual pilot, all living near Warrenton, Virginia.

Where the Warbirds Come From

Backstories of some of the airplanes in the May 8 D.C. flyover.

None

Arctic Eclipse

The Solar Wind Sherpas team trekked through the Arctic to observe the total solar eclipse on March 20, 2015. The picture above is a composite from 29 images. Read about their science adventure <a href="http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/press-releases/2015solar_eclipse/">here</a>.

A T-6 flies over Washington D.C. last October. Expect many more warbirds on May 8.

Warplanes Over Washington

You want to fly where? It’s not easy getting approval to fly bombers and fighters in the restricted airspace over Washington, D.C.

None

Mercury Up Close

MESSENGER's mission came to a <a href="http://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/messenger-comes-crashing-end-thursday-180955098/">crashing end yesterday</a>, April 30, on the surface of Mercury, but during its 11 year mission it took the best images of the inner-most planet we've seen. This is an enhanced-color mosaic of the Caloris basin, which has been flooded by lava, seen in orange here.

None

Paratrooper Incoming

Paratroopers make the jump over England.

An illumination map of the south polar region of Mercury, based on data returned by MESSENGER. Black areas are in permanent shadow.

MESSENGER Comes To a Crashing End on Thursday

With its mission over, NASA’s Mercury orbiter will slam into the planet it’s been studying for years.

None

Happy Birthday Hubble

The Hubble Space Telescope turns 25 today. It was launched into space aboard STS-31 on April 24, 1990 and deployed by the crew the next day. To celebrate the momentous achievements made from the space telescope's observations, NASA and ESA released this image of "nature's own fireworks—a giant cluster of about 3,000 stars called Westerlund 2." See more photos in our gallery about <a href="http://www.airspacemag.com/space/gateway-universe-180954890/">10 ways Hubble has ushered in a new age of astronomy</a>.

Scott Yoak with his P-51 Mustang, Quick Silver

The Best Judges of Airshow Performers: Other Performers

Peer evaluation of airshow pilots has reduced accidents by 76 percent.

New Eyes on the ISS

The space station’s cameras get an upgrade.

None

Happy Earth Day

April 22 is Earth Day, and while there are lots of ways to celebrate and support initiatives that care for our environment, we suggest you start by clicking over to this <a href="http://earth.nullschool.net/">real time map</a> of wind, weather, and ocean conditions to appreciate a little of the intricate beauty of our planet's workings.

A way station and staging area for human missions to Mars and other deep space destinations could be positioned at an Earth-Moon libration point. This artwork shows a staging node at L-1.

The Lunar “Distraction”

Far from being a detour, the Moon is a critical stepping stone to Mars.

None

Lancer on Take Off

A B-1B Lancer takes off from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.

None

10 Things We Wouldn’t Know Without the Hubble Telescope

The famous space telescope has been in orbit 25 years. This is how it ushered in a new age of astronomy.

None

SLS Engine Fire

At NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi an RS-25 engine for the Space Launch System undergoes a 500-second test in January 2015.

On April 28, 1936, a Kellett KD-1 autogiro hopped over the Capitol Dome and touched down to a warm welcome in the parking lot on the East Front of the Capitol.

That Postal Worker Who Landed at the U.S. Capitol Wasn’t the First

It wasn’t even the first gyrocopter.

Cracks on Jupiter's moon Europa. Could there be life under the ice?

How Long Before We Find Extraterrestrial Life?

It’s hard to predict, considering that habitability alone doesn’t mean life arose on other worlds.

None

Nighttime on Planet Earth

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station look down on bright cities at night.

Page 100 of 320