CURRENT ISSUE

September 2010

Features

Nevada’s mountains provide a wall around one of the world’s most secret places.

The Truth is Out There

A veteran reporter describes his search for the aircraft of Area 51

William B. Scott

Lost In Space

Microgravity's mysterious side effect: Stuff disappears

Tom Jones

Robert Hyman helped search for fellow adventurer Steve Fossett. The undertaking inspired him and other Fossett searchers to create MAST.

Cold Case

A new team sets out to solve old disappearances.

Michael Behar

Lenticular clouds tend to remain stationary; their longevity and their saucer-like appearance sometimes lead to misidentification as otherworldly spacecraft.

Department of Flying Saucers

Hello? UFO desk? I'm calling to report a...

Craig Mellow

Search parties still hunt for Amelia Earhart, who vanished on July 2, 1937.

Checking In...

...on the Missing Persons File

The Editors

In the 86-foot-long cargo bay, former crewmen recall the hardware a C-133 could lift.

The Curse of the Cargomaster

Readied to transport the first U.S. ICBMs, the Douglas C-133 had a peculiar habit. It kept crashing.

John Sotham

Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft flew past Earth three times, but experienced the flyby effect only once. Nobody knows why.

The Force Is With Them

What changes the speed of spacecraft flying by Earth?

Sam Kean

What Made Yuri Fall?

Igor Kuznetsov reopened the Gagarin inquest to find out.

Andrew Osborn

In 2003, a 727 that once flew for American Airlines disappeared from Angola.

The 727 That Vanished

A case pursued by the FBI, the CIA, the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security, CENTCOM, and the sister of Ben Padilla

Tim Wright

The dapper Edgar Mix (1905 self-portrait) avidly documented aeronautical events around Paris.

The Curious Case of Edgar Mix

The celebrated aeronaut found Earth-bound life difficult to navigate.

Rebecca Maksel

Reconstruction of a South African Airways Boeing 747 has failed to reveal what started an onboard fire, which led to the loss of 19 crew members and 140 passengers.

Cause Unknown

What brought down these five airplanes?

Lester A. Reingold

Carl Schahrer, commander of the B-29 Boomerang, shows off the talisman, on which his crew carved their missions.

One More For The Checklist

For some pilots, a good-luck charm is standard equipment.

Mike Klesius

Case Closed

Mysteries solved, secrets revealed, and questions finally answered

The Editors

Departments

Viewport

Viewport: Conquering the Unknown

J.R. Dailey

In the Museum

The Mysterious Second Seat

Why would the Japanese need a two-seat Ohka?

Above & Beyond

Above & Beyond: The Oldest Powered Flying Machine?

Tom D. Crouch

Then & Now

Then & Now: Mercury Unmasked

Paul Hoversten

Moments and Milestones