Moffett Field Museum

Following the 1992 announcement that NAS Moffett Field was closing and the airport would be turned over to the National Air and Space Administration, a group of individuals established the Hail and Farewell Committee to collect historical artifacts related to the base.{{cite news |last1=D'Agostino |first1=Bill |title=NASA May Force Moffett Field Museum to Shut Its Doors |url=http://www.mv-voice.com/morgue/2002/2002_01_04.moffett2.html |access-date=19 February 2024 |work=Mountain View Voice |date=4 January 2002}} The Moffett Field Historical Society was founded in May 1993 by Carol Henderson and Rose Lesslie.{{cite web |title=History |url=http://www.moffettfieldmuseum.org/history.html |website=Moffett Field Museum |access-date=19 February 2024}}

The museum originally opened in a {{convert|30,000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} portion of Hangar One in 1994. For five years the museum was sponsored by the United States Navy Reserve. However, this ended when NASA raised the rent on the hangar in 1999.{{efn|1=In February, the museum opened a "Macon Room" about the airship USS Macon.{{cite news |last1=Larsen |first1=Elaine |title=Hangar One |url=http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/462818343 |access-date=19 February 2024 |work=San Francisco Examiner |date=26 February 1999 |pages=P-1, P-4}}}} At the same time, NASA required the museum to install a sprinkler system. Three years later, in January 2002, the museum was forced to close as it was unable to afford the system.{{cite news |last1=Barton |first1=Bruce |title=Moffett Museum May Be History After Friday Shutdown |url=http://www.losaltosonline.com/archives/moffett-museum-may-be-history-after-friday-shutdown/article_ffd6d08e-a35d-59e7-b56d-01922e68cce6.html |access-date=19 February 2024 |work=Los Altos Town Crier |date=9 January 2002}}

The museum reopened in Building 126, a former U.S. Navy recreation center, across the street from Hangar One in April 2005.

The museum opened time capsule in April 2007, but most of the contents were damaged by water.{{cite news |last1=DeBolt |first1=Daniel |title=A Glimpse of History at Moffett Field |url=http://www.mv-voice.com/news/2007/04/20/a-glimpse-of-history-at-moffett-field |access-date=19 February 2024 |work=Mountain View Voice |date=20 April 2007}}

The museum began preparing a Lockheed U-2C for display in August 2014.{{cite news |title=Moffett Field Museum Prepares Historic U-2 Spy Plane for Display |url=http://www.losaltosonline.com/archives/moffett-field-museum-prepares-historic-u-2-spy-plane-for-display/article_52237c54-87d6-5316-b5ee-c47ccb54235e.html |access-date=19 February 2024 |work=Los Altos Town Crier |date=20 August 2014}}

The museum briefly closed in 2017 for upgrades to its HVAC system.{{cite news |title=Moffett Field Museum Reopens Today, Celebrates History of Naval Air Station |url=http://www.losaltosonline.com/community/moffett-field-museum-reopens-today-celebrates-history-of-naval-air-station/article_a78cdc92-da04-59e2-9588-55e65bb973aa.html |access-date=19 February 2024 |work=Los Altos Town Crier |date=10 May 2017}}

The museum received an official duplicate of Rear Admiral William A. Moffett's Medal of Honor and sword in April 2018.{{cite news |last1=Noack |first1=Mark |title=Moffett Museum Adds New Artifacts from Namesake |url=http://www.mv-voice.com/news/2018/05/15/moffett-museum-adds-new-artifacts-from-namesake |access-date=19 February 2024 |work=Mountain View Voice |date=15 May 2018}}

A library is located at the museum.{{cite web |title=[Library] |url=http://www.moffettfieldmuseum.org/popLibrary.html |website=Moffett Field Historical Society Museum |access-date=19 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514174916/http://www.moffettfieldmuseum.org/popLibrary.html |archive-date=14 May 2011}}

Exhibits at the museum include electronic warfare, navigation, the {{USS|Macon|ZRS-5|6}}, a collection of ship's silver serving dishes, Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, memorial, a collection of uniforms, aircrew survival equipment, a Link Trainer, the various aviation organizations at Moffett Field over the years and a room with a model train layout leftover from the building's time as a Navy recreation center.{{cite web |title=Exhibits |url=http://www.moffettfieldmuseum.org/exhibits.html |website=Moffett Field Museum |access-date=19 February 2024}}

File:U-2 ER-2 on display at NASA Moffett Field Museum.jpg

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• Bell AH-1S Cobra{{cite web |title=Airframe Dossier - Bell AH-1S Cobra, s/n 68-15155 US, c/n 20689 |url=http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=156306 |website=Aerial Visuals |access-date=19 February 2024}}
• Hawker Siddeley AV-8A Harrier – cockpit{{cite web |title=Airframe Dossier - Hawker Siddeley AV-8A Harrier |url=http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=165462 |website=Aerial Visuals |access-date=19 February 2024}}
• Lockheed U-2C{{cite web |title=Airframe Dossier - Lockheed U-2C, s/n 56-6681 USAF, c/n 348, c/r N708NA |url=http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=12664 |website=Aerial Visuals |access-date=19 February 2024}}{{efn|1=The U-2Cs used by NASA were replaced by ER-2s in 1981 and 1989. The example on display at the museum was one of the original batch of aircraft and is therefore correctly designated as a U-2 and not an ER-2.}}{{cite web |last1=Dinius |first1=Dede |title=ER-2 High-Altitude Airborne Science Aircraft |url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/armstrong/er-2-aircraft |website=NASA |access-date=19 February 2024 |date=29 September 2023}}
• Lockheed TF-104G Starfighter{{cite web |title=Airframe Dossier - Lockheed TF-104G Starfighter, s/n 28+09 WGAF, c/n 583F-5939, c/r N825NA |url=http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=4668 |website=Aerial Visuals |access-date=19 February 2024}}
• Lockheed P-3A Orion{{cite web |title=Airframe Dossier - Lockheed P-3A-25-LO Orion, s/n 150509 USN, c/n 5035 |url=http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=393 |website=Aerial Visuals |access-date=19 February 2024}}
• Lockheed TP-3A Orion – cockpit{{cite web |title=Airframe Dossier - Lockheed TP-3A Orion, s/n 151370 USN, c/n 5083 |url=http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=2862 |website=Aerial Visuals |access-date=19 February 2024}}
• McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornet{{cite web |title=Airframe Dossier - Northrop-McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A- 7-MC (Lot 4) Hornet, s/n 161521 USN, c/n 38 |url=http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=7694 |website=Aerial Visuals |access-date=19 February 2024}}
• Vought F-8A Crusader – cockpit{{cite web |title=Airframe Dossier - Vought F-8A Crusader, s/n 145399 USN |url=http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=156305 |website=Aerial Visuals |access-date=19 February 2024}}
• Vultee BT-13 Valiant{{cite web |title=Airframe Dossier - Vultee BT-13A Valiant, s/n 41-22386 USAAF, c/n 6464 |url=http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=156526 |website=Aerial Visuals |access-date=19 February 2024}}

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The museum hold a bimonthly series of STEM clinics.{{cite web |title=STEM Activities and Education |url=http://www.moffettfieldmuseum.org/stem.html |website=Moffett Field Museum |access-date=18 February 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Malea |title='I want us to be known as the STEM place': Moffett Field Museum is on a Mission to Modernize |url=http://www.mv-voice.com/news/2023/04/14/i-want-us-to-be-known-as-the-stem-place-moffett-field-museum-is-on-a-mission-to-modernize |access-date=19 February 2024 |work=Mountain View Voice |date=14 April 2023}}

• List of aviation museums

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.moffettfieldmuseum.org}}

Category:Aerospace museums in California

Category:Museums in Santa Clara County, California