Air & Space Magazine

A lengthy restoration led to outstanding aerobatics in a MiG-17PF: On August 22, 2015, Randy Ball wowed airshow spectators in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with a 575-mph pass in full afterburner.

Return of the MiG-17

The high-speed, high-G Soviet classic showed airshow fans why Phantoms feared MiGs.

A colored-pencil portrait of the Esterle clan circa 1961, when a summer road trip from Ohio brought them to Rhinebeck. The author, 16 at the time, is on the left.

Summer Days at the Aerodrome

A 1961 road trip to Rhinebeck, New York.

When the first Apollo mission to carry astronauts to orbit launched on October 11, 1968, everyone at NASA sighed in relief.

The Flight (and Fights) of Apollo 7

With barely a year left in the decade, three astronauts knew it was up to them: Keep Kennedy’s promise or kill it.

A prototype of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule successfully completed a pad abort test in 2015. Its high-thrust engines can push the spacecraft and crew to safety.

Abort!

When a launch goes bad, how do you save the crew?

The 200lb Prototype Technology-Evaluation Research Aircraft (PTERA) landing during the first test series. The second set of tests will begin sometime this fall.

One Step Closer to Birdflight

NASA's Spanwise Adaptive Wing program gears up for a second round of test flights.

The Gottorf Globe as it currently appears, in the Kunstkamera Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The World According to Gottorf

The bizarre history of one of the world’s earliest planetariums.

Ugly, but fascinating.

The Naked Mole-Rat, an Alien in Our Midst

Look what the weirdest mammal on the planet can do.

Douglas C-47 Skytrain in flight, Philippines, 1945.

Air & Space Quiz: Experts Only

Paul Spudis (1952-2018)

One of the world’s leading lunar scientists, he was also a fierce advocate for space exploration.

Author Peter Taylor notes that “Follow the Führer Above the Clouds” was just one of the propaganda images offered to the Ministry of Information by war artist Paul Nash. “The Ministry thought they were unlikely to be understood by the public and turned them down,” he writes. “Or perhaps they were trying to avoid starting a panic about flying Nazi sharks.”

When War Gets Weird

Pink Spitfires, flying sharks, parachuting pigeons: Surprising stuff from the Imperial War Museum collections.

Alan Eustace (shown here during a practice jump) made history, and gave the author a mystery to solve.

The Human Sonic Boom

A skydiver’s shock wave reversed time.

The no-cockpit interior of the Crew Dragon shows how automation will change spaceflight. ISS commuters can steer if needed, but will often be along for the ride.

NASA’s New Space Taxis

The astronauts’ next spacecraft won’t be government property.

At first Axiom's modules would be attached to the International Space Station. Eventually, the company wants to have a separate station in orbit.

This Group of NASA Veterans Wants to Build Their Own Space Station

Axiom also hopes to revive orbital tourism, with tickets priced at $55 million.

Vindication: Helen James arrives in Washington, D.C., on an Honor Flight that she was denied for 60 years.

An Honor Taken, Now Restored

Helen James’ fight for justice is recognized by the National Air and Space Museum.

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole sits atop under-ice detectors (artist impression) that catch the blue glow created by a cosmic neutrino.

Astronomy’s Bat Signal

When a rare cosmic neutrino hit the South Pole, alarms around the world went off.

Dragons and fish are traditional subjects for Chinese kite makers.

The Splendor of Chinese Kites

The first flying objects crafted by human hands.

After an eight-year restoration, the Thomas-Morse S-4B (here, at the Ithaca airport) will take to the air September 29, 2018, a century after it first flew.

Ithaca’s Airplane

A World War I trainer—and aviation film star—comes home.

Maybe the future has finally arrived. AeroMobil is targeting the luxury market with its flying prototype, AeroMobil 3.0 (seen here during 2015 flight tests). Sticker price: more than $1 million.

So That’s What Flying Cars Are For

A new business model may make them real this time.

The F-111B was designed to defend the fleet, but only one landed aboard an aircraft carrier, the Coral Sea, in 1968, after the program was cancelled.

Was the Navy’s F-111 Really That Bad?

Pentagon leaders insisted that an Air Force fighter-bomber would make a great Navy interceptor. They should have asked the Navy.

At Spirit AeroSystems, 737 production combines manual labor and automation. Airplanes are an economic driver in Spirit’s Wichita home; 27,500 people there build or service them.

We Built This City

History, family, flying: It’s all here in Wichita.

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