How Things Work

How Things Work: Flying Upside Down

The tricks that keep the engine from knowing it’s not right side up.
By Patricia Trenner

How Things Work: Chandra X-Ray

The Chandra X-Ray Telescope, explained.
By Damond Benningfield

How Things Work: Phased-Array Radar

It takes a big eye to see a missile coming.
By Sam Goldberg

How Things Work: Cabin Pressure

Why you remain conscious at 30,000 feet.
By George C. Larson

The Thrill of Invention

A dedicated craftsman explores the invention of the airplane by recreating its predecessors.
By Tom Crouch

Reader Scrapbook

Snapshot

Air & Space Videos

	Space Station Fly-Around Take a narrated tour of the station with the same animation astronauts use in training.
	Lunar Run How a plasma-powered rocket would shoot for the moon.
	The First Lunar Landing One of history's great voyages, captured on 16mm film.
	WW I Pilot Training Rare footage of Army pilots learning to fly Jennies in 1917.
	Armstrong’s Close Call A fiery bailout while training to land on the moon.
	Mercury Astronauts Meet the Press, 1959 ...and answer the question: "What was your least favorite test?"
	Marines Test the Joint Strike Fighter A Marine takes the new F-35 for a spin.
	On the Prowl Climb into the cockpit for a flight in an EA-6B Prowler.
	Dodging Missiles F-105 pilots recall the dangers of flying over North Vietnam.
	F-105 Walkaround Get a close look at the National Air and Space Museum’s Thunderchief.
	PTQ: Put Together Quickly Watch Boeing technicians repair an airliner—in two minutes.
	Operation Tumbler-Snapper Atomic bombs versus airplanes in the Nevada desert.

In the Magazine

In his portrait of the storied racer Rare Bear and its crew, photographer Tyson Rininger captures the sense of anticipation that surrounds air races. “Something’s coming,” this quiet night scene seems to suggest. “Tomorrow, it’s win or lose.”

Air & Space Interview

A&S Interview:
Burt Rutan

A wide-ranging talk with the magician of Mojave

New Worlds

Confidence Booster

This little known Apollo artifact caused astronauts to rest a little easier.

View full archiveRecent Issues

About Us

Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine has been delighting aerospace enthusiasts with the best writing about their favorite subject since April 1986. As an adjunct of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, Air & Space matches the grand scope of the Museum, encompassing every era of aviation and space exploration. With stories that range from the Wright Brothers to the design of NASA's next lunar lander, Air & Space emphasizes the human stories as well as the technology of aviation and spaceflight.

The tricks that keep the engine from knowing it’s not right side up. By Patricia Trenner

The systems that cool the threat from heat-seeking missiles. By Sam Goldberg

The Chandra X-Ray Telescope, explained. By Damond Benningfield

Why the space shuttle can withstand reentry temperatures up to 2,300 degrees. By Damond Benningfield

Engineer to airplane: Stifle By Roger A. Mola

Pilots who make it safely to the deck of an aircraft carrier have seen the light. By Sam Goldberg

A guide to the meaning of the myriad signs, lines, circles, arrows, numbers, letters, and lights on the airport grounds. By Patricia Trenner

The secret to a spyplane's eternal youth is a new suite of gadgets installed on a classic chassis. By William E. Burrows

Ice kills. That's why engineers continue to invent new ways to keep it off airplane wings. By Tim Wright

In which we survey the variety of objects to which a jet engine can be affixed. By Roger A. Mola

Never operate your airplane engine lean of peak exhaust gas temperature. These guys aren't buyin' it. By George C. Larson

Once airliners implement this pending FAA rule, a spark will no longer become a flame. By Damond Benningfield

For those who've use portable electronic devices aboard airliners: Here's why they're dangerous. By John Croft

Night vision goggles can save a pilot's life or, if he hasn't had adequate training, take it. By John Croft

It takes a big eye to see a missile coming. By Sam Goldberg

Wooden propellers are like Louisville Sluggers: The distance. By Tom Harpole

That's the sound of the prop-driven XF-84H, and it brought grown men to their knees. It didn't fly all that great either. By Stephan Wilkinson

"Uh oh. Why is this piston rod left over?" Meet the pilots who are gutsy enough to fly freshly restored airplanes. By Mark Huber

In the evolution of the airplane, Darwinian principles have applied unevenly. By Bill Sweetman

Better technology is helping airline pilots keep a safe distance from terrain. By Damond Benningfield

Machines alone could not have pushed the airplane forward. By Patricia Trenner

The inventions, institutions, gadgets, and lucky breaks that have shaped the story of the airplane. By Roger Bilstein

Find out why the world's first controllable airplane was a bear to control. By Phaedra Hise

Devices an aerobatic airplane uses to defy gravity--and convention. By Patricia Trenner

They're like highly specialized surgeons: there are few of them and they're in great demand. By Stephan Wilkinson

Why you remain conscious at 30,000 feet. By George C. Larson

Birds do it, bees do it. Can two weird aircraft make aviation history doing it? By Graham Chandler

A dedicated craftsman explores the invention of the airplane by recreating its predecessors. By Tom Crouch

Reader Scrapbook

Snapshot

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In the Magazine

Air & Space Interview

New Worlds

View full archiveRecent Issues

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The tricks that keep the engine from knowing it’s not right side up.
By Patricia Trenner

The systems that cool the threat from heat-seeking missiles.
By Sam Goldberg

The Chandra X-Ray Telescope, explained.
By Damond Benningfield

Why the space shuttle can withstand reentry temperatures up to 2,300 degrees.
By Damond Benningfield

Engineer to airplane: Stifle
By Roger A. Mola

Pilots who make it safely to the deck of an aircraft carrier have seen the light.
By Sam Goldberg

A guide to the meaning of the myriad signs, lines, circles, arrows, numbers, letters, and lights on the airport grounds.
By Patricia Trenner

The secret to a spyplane's eternal youth is a new suite of gadgets installed on a classic chassis.
By William E. Burrows

Ice kills. That's why engineers continue to invent new ways to keep it off airplane wings.
By Tim Wright

In which we survey the variety of objects to which a jet engine can be affixed.
By Roger A. Mola

Never operate your airplane engine lean of peak exhaust gas temperature. These guys aren't buyin' it.
By George C. Larson

Once airliners implement this pending FAA rule, a spark will no longer become a flame.
By Damond Benningfield

For those who've use portable electronic devices aboard airliners: Here's why they're dangerous.
By John Croft

Night vision goggles can save a pilot's life or, if he hasn't had adequate training, take it.
By John Croft

It takes a big eye to see a missile coming.
By Sam Goldberg

Wooden propellers are like Louisville Sluggers: The distance.
By Tom Harpole

That's the sound of the prop-driven XF-84H, and it brought grown men to their knees. It didn't fly all that great either.
By Stephan Wilkinson

"Uh oh. Why is this piston rod left over?" Meet the pilots who are gutsy enough to fly freshly restored airplanes.
By Mark Huber

In the evolution of the airplane, Darwinian principles have applied unevenly.
By Bill Sweetman

Better technology is helping airline pilots keep a safe distance from terrain.
By Damond Benningfield

Machines alone could not have pushed the airplane forward.
By Patricia Trenner

The inventions, institutions, gadgets, and lucky breaks that have shaped the story of the airplane.
By Roger Bilstein

Find out why the world's first controllable airplane was a bear to control.
By Phaedra Hise

Devices an aerobatic airplane uses to defy gravity--and convention.
By Patricia Trenner

They're like highly specialized surgeons: there are few of them and they're in great demand.
By Stephan Wilkinson

Why you remain conscious at 30,000 feet.
By George C. Larson

Birds do it, bees do it. Can two weird aircraft make aviation history doing it?
By Graham Chandler

A dedicated craftsman explores the invention of the airplane by recreating its predecessors.
By Tom Crouch