National Geographic August 1977

The Challenge of Air Safety { The Air- Safety Challenge}
Michael E. Long and Bruce Dale ride jetliners and visit control towers for an in- depth look at one of today’s safest means of transportation.
The Soviet Union Is My Beat { Five Times to Yakutsk}
National Geographic photographer Dean Conger recalls 16 years and 100, 000 miles of travel in the U. S. S. R. The most recent result: a new Geographic book on the Soviet Union.
When Will We Measure In Metric? { How Soon Will We Measure In Metric? }
Prepare to meet the meter, advises science editor Kenneth F. Weaver, who offers a handy tear- out guide to the system. Drawings by Donald A. Mackay.
Penguins and Their Neighbors
Renowned naturalist Roger Tory Peterson voyages to the Antarctic to observe the incredible lives of birds and animals in one of earth’s most rigorous environments. Photographs by Des and Jen Bartlett.
On the Trail of Wisconsin’s Ice Age
A chain of glacial wonders, some still being sculpted only 10, 000 years ago, is traced by Anne LaBastille and Cary Wolinsky.
Life in India Behind the Veil { Purdah in India: Life Behind the Veil}
For three years anthropologist Doranne Wilson Jacobson lived in a village in India, studying the ways of women who veil themselves from the view of others – – sometimes even their husbands.
West Germany: Continuing Miracle
In three decades, a war- devastated land has become Western Europe’s strongest, most prosperous nation. John J. Putman and Robert W. Madden report on how it happened and look at the road ahead.