1981 July – December

Buffalo Bill and the Enduring West
A man whose nickname became a legend really was the quintessential Westerner- Pony Express rider, Army scout, buffalo hunter, and master showman. By Alice J. Hall, with photos by James L. Amos.
Bombay, the Other India
From glittering skyscrapers to desperate slums, India's commercial capital is one big paradox, John Scofield and Raghubir Singh discover.
Living With Guanacos: Wild Camels of South America
Tens of millions of these furry wild camels roamed South America until meat and pelt hunters devastated their herds. Wildlife ecologist William L. Franklin and his family spend months studying them in remote Tierra del Fuego.
Saturn: Riddles of the Rings { Voyager 1 at Saturn: Riddles of the Rings}
From a billion miles out, an unmanned NASA spacecraft sends home spectacular views of the haloed planet. Rick Gore relates why the images astounded and edified scientists. A double supplement shows Saturn full face and to scale in our solar system.
Costa Rica Steers the Middle Course
Kent Britt reports on a peaceable land of prosperous optimism where democracy works and armies are illegal - - a true rarity amid Central America's mosaic of strife.
The Fungus That Walks { Slime Mold: The Fungus That Walks}
An oft beautiful something called slime mold lives among us, behaving like both plant and animal and creating micro- sculpture in the wild. Text by Douglas Lee, photographs by Paul A. Zahl.

Far- Flying Phalaropes { Way Station for the Wilson's Phalarope; Mono Lake: A Vital Way Station for the Wilson's Phalarope}
Ornithologist Joseph R. Jehl, Jr. , studies the clouds of sandpiper- like Wilson's phalaropes that feed at Mono Lake on their way to South America.
Mono Lake's Troubled Waters { The Troubled Waters of Mono Lake}
A High Sierra salt lake dwindles away as freshwater streams that once fed it flow instead to the taps of Los Angeles. Gordon Young and photographer Craig Aurness document a mounting California war of water and words.
Our Phenomenal First Flight { [Columbia' ]s Astronauts' Own Story: Our Phenomenal First Flight}
Astronauts John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen recount their near- perfect April launch and landing, which opened a new era of man in space. With paintings by Ken Dallison.
[ Columbia Closes a Circle] { [Columbia' ]s Landing Closes a Circle}
Author Tom Wolfe traces the space shuttle back to experimental rocket planes of a generation ago.
New Finds at Aphrodisias { Ancient Aphrodisias Lives Through Its Art}
Dedicated to the goddess of love and fertility, this ancient city in Turkey yields more stunning works of art. Excavation director Kenan T. Erim and photographer David Brill reveal the glories.
Crosscurrents Sweep the Indian Ocean { Western Indian Ocean: Crosscurrents Sweep a Strategic Sea; Crosscurrents Sweep a Strategic Sea}
Big- power politics swirl around little- known, idyllic, hardscrabble island nations lying along some of the world's most strategic sea- lanes. Bart McDowell and Steve Raymer assess what is happening from the Maldives to Madagascar.
I Climbed Everest Alone { At My Limit- -I Climbed Everest Alone}
Reinhold Messner breaks physical and mental barriers to reach the summit of the world. With photographs by the author and Nena Holguin.
People of Fire and Fervor { Pakistan's Kalash: People of Fire and Fervor}
High in Pakistan's Hindu Kush, the Kalash - - numbering only 3, 000 - - preserve a unique culture. Debra Denker describes her adoption into the tribe, photographed by Steve McCurry.