CATEGORIES

(Don't) Fly Me to the Moon

WAS IT A CONSPIRACY? NOPE. BUT NO-MOONIES ARE SKEPTICAL ANYWAY.

To the Moon-and Beyond!

NASA'S ARTEMIS PROGRAM IS SET TO RETURN HUMANS TO THE MOON AFTER MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY.

A Six-Planet Solar System in Perfect Synchrony Has Been Found in the Milky Way

Astronomers have discovered a rare in-sync solar system with six planets moving like a grand cosmic orchestra, untouched by outside forces since their birth billions of years ago.

Are plants aware of themselves?

Sure, scientists noticed one of my special skills. But most people are still overlooking my epic poetry.

THE FORMULA FOR FLYING

Want to fly? Then you must balance these four forces.

Silken Wings

Seven hundred years before the Wright brothers began experimenting with human flight, the Chinese had already mastered its secrets—with kites.

SUSTAINABLE AVIATION EXPERT

REDUCING AIRPLANES' CARBON EMISSIONS

THE TROUBLE WITH TRANSPORTERS

Quantum teleportation has been achieved. But can it work for people?

Two Brothers From Ohio

Most people do not realize that the Wright brothers—Wilbur, born in 1867, and Orville, born in 1871—performed various scientific experiments before inventing their aircraft. For as long as anyone in their hometown of Dayton, Ohio, could remember, the Wright boys had worked on mechanical projects.

THE IDEA MEN

People dreamed of flying thousands of years before the Wright brothers found success near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. These dreamers, such as Leonardo da Vinci, studied birds flying and imagined how humans might do the same—if only they had wings. Other men developed a more hands-on approach to the topic. Early inventors made wings of cloth, glue, and feathers and tied these creations to their arms in an attempt to imitate nature.

A Helping Hand

May 6, 1896. A group of people who had gathered beside the Potomac River, just south of the U.S. capital, grew quiet. Then, it erupted in cheers as a small, unmanned aircraft took to the skies and flew for more than half a mile. The flight came seven years before the Wright brothers’ first manned, powered flight. The inventor of the aircraft was Dr. Samuel Pierpont Langley.

PTERO-SOAR

Tomorrow's High-Tech Aircraft May Use Secrets From the Days of the Dinosaurs!

GROWTH OF AN INDUSTRY

After their historic flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright returned to Dayton, Ohio. They spent the next few years making adjustments and building additional versions of their powered aircraft in their bicycle shop.

Da Vinci's 4 Designs

Have you ever wondered how a bird flies? Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) did. He thought that understanding how a bird flies would provide the key to human flight. So, what did da Vinci learn from birds?

WHY KITTY HAWK?

The Wright brothers searched carefully for the best place to test their gliders and flying machines. Their main concern was for good, steady winds. But they also hoped to find a remote location to allow them to perform tests away from the public eye.

The QUEST for QUIET, QUICK PLANES

Supersonic Flight Could Be Making a Comeback

TAKING OFF

The Wright brothers expected airplanes to “take off,” but even they might be amazed at the way the airline industry has become big business. In the past, it was expensive to send something by plane.

PLANES Made of PLANTS

Scientists are looking for creative ways to reduce airplanes' carbon footprints by making them fly more efficiently and developing sustainable fuels. But what about the materials in the planes themselves?

TAKING OFF TOWARD A GREENER FUTURE

Efforts to make flying sustainable

Do You Really Want a Flying Car?

Close your eyes and imagine the future. Are flying cars whizzing through the air?

Envisioning the Future

Albert Robida had a fun but clear-eyed view of the future. Writing and illustrating at the end of the 1800s, he imagined what the year 2000 would look like. Who could picture the world more than a century in the future?

Balloons on a Mission

When scientists need to do research at the very edge of space, they skip the rocket ship and send a balloon instead.

No Flights of Fancy

Animal-inspired innovations for airplanes

Airborne Animals

Humans have taken to the skies in balloons, gliders, and airplanes-but we're not alone among the clouds. Animals of all sorts have evolved to harness wind power.

Eye in the Sky

An interview with Joe Piotrowski

"Addictive" Social Media Feeds That Keep Children Online Targeted by New York Lawmakers

New York would restrict the way online platforms like Instagram and YouTube can collect and share children's personal information and let parents keep their kids from being bombarded by "addictive" feeds from accounts they don't follow, under legislation proposed this week.

THE MISSION AT WAIILATPU

One fall day in 1831, four Nez Perce men arrived in St. Louis, Missouri. They sought a meeting with General William Clark. They had met Clark some 25 years before when he had explored the country with Meriwether Lewis and the Corps of Discovery.

THE PATHFINDER

One man in particular provided information about the route to Oregon Country. He was explorer, soldier, and politician John Charles Frémont.

From Point A to Point B

Before railways extended across the continent in the mid- to late 1800s, getting from one coast to the other in North America was a real trek.

Let's Dine Out

Has your family ever taken a long car trip? Did you eat at restaurants or shop along the way? On the Oregon Trail, pioneers could not stop in restaurants or grocery stores.