![]() ![]() Ames provided input to the fledgling agency's top priority, the lunar program, testing and refining the re-entry capsules and thermal protection in the Center's new Arc Jet Complex and hypervelocity ranges. In 1958, Ames became part of the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). "These research facilities formed the foundation upon which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration would draw in 1958 to launch the American effort to land a man on the moon." "The Ames Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel is significant because it represents the continual development of superior technical aeronautical research facilities after the end of the Second World War," Harry Butowsky, then of the National Park Service, said on the nomination form. In 1985, the 11-acre wind tunnel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The largest of the three, the Unitary Plan Wind tunnel, has tested almost all NASA crewed space vehicles, including the space shuttle, and is the only one still in use today. ![]() "Of particular note are three tunnels later designated key national resources." "Wind tunnels are central to Ames' history," says Ames' historical website. The Air Force passed Moffett Airfield to NASA in 1994, when the military base closed. Some of its original facilities include multiple wind tunnels used to test and refine aircraft and guided missiles today, the facilities serve similar purposes for satellites. From the start, Ames was bent toward urgent research in aircraft structures. ![]()
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