CURRENT ISSUE
May 2012
Features
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Orbiter Autopsies
What NASA will learn from dissecting Atlantis, Discovery, and Endeavour
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Diary of a Spy
Events that made the U-2 the world's most famous player in the game of espionage.
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Wingman in a Pontiac
It takes two to land the dragon lady.
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Lin Xu’s Obsession
It started with a search for images of his hometown in China. Hundreds of miles of film later, he can't stop looking.
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Killer at 70,000 Feet
The occupational hazards of flying the U-2
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Bring Down the Spyplane
MIG-17 vs. Lockheed U-2
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Air Rangers
The wild flights of Park Service pilots.
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Cancelled: Design by Committee
The Bristol Brabazon was big and it flew. Much more can’t be said.
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The Women’s RAF
In World War II Britain, a new group of pilots answered the call to serve.
Departments
The Katzenjammer Kids Take to the Air
It took a cartoonist to paint the first serious depiction of aircraft flight.
Radar Love
Before instrument landing systems, military pilots relied on controllers to steer them right to the runway.
The Pressure’s On
The ingenious—and goofy—modifications of endurance flights.