Peterson Air and Space Museum is an aviation museum located at

Peterson Space Force Base Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a United States Space Force, U.S. Space Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airp ...

, Colorado Springs, Colorado focused on the history the of Air Defense Command,

Aerospace Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly ina ...

and

Air Force Space Command The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

History

The museum grew from the North American Aerospace Defense Command Visitor Center established by Col. Donald Parson in 1975.

Exhibits

The main entrance of the museum is through the original terminal building for the Colorado Springs Airport, built in 1941 for the Colorado Springs Municipal Airport. This building houses a small number of exhibits mainly focusing on the base's World War II history as a training ground for the 14th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, including a tribute to 1st Lt. Edward J. Peterson, for whom the base was named after a fatal crash. The building also houses an introductory screening room and museum store. The rear exit of the building leads to the Air Park, where the majority of the museum's aircraft are on display. Of these, the EC-121 Warning Star is the only one open for tours. Nearby is a

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

memorial. There are two hangars also in the courtyard that have been converted into museum buildings. One was formerly used by

the Broadmoor The Broadmoor (stylized as THE BRODMOOR) is a hotel and resort in the Broadmoor neighborhood of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Broadmoor is a member of Historic Hotels of America of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Its visitors h ...

hotel for aircraft storage and transportation of clientele, and is now used as an archival and administrative building for museum personnel; this building is not open to the public, but a proposal has been put forward to convert it into more exhibit space. The other was used for public transportation by the original municipal airport and currently houses the majority of exhibits on the museum grounds. These exhibits include: * Displays on the air warning mission of the Air Defense Command during the cold war * Decommissioned computer equipment from the

Cheyenne Mountain Complex The Cheyenne Mountain Complex is a Space Force installation and defensive bunker located in unincorporated El Paso County, Colorado, next to the city of Colorado Springs, at the Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, which hosts the activities o ...

* A Peacekeeper payload shroud * A Mk. 21

re-entry vehicle Atmospheric entry is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. There are two main types of atmospheric entry: ''uncontrolled entry'', such as the entr ...

for a

thermonuclear weapon A thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon or hydrogen bomb (H bomb) is a second-generation nuclear weapon design. Its greater sophistication affords it vastly greater destructive power than first-generation nuclear bombs, a more compact size, a low ...

* A training simulator for a Peacekeeper

missile launch control center A launch control center (LCC), in the United States, is the main control facility for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). A launch control center monitors and controls missile launch facilities. From a launch control center, the mis ...

* An exhibit related to the 460th Space Wing, featuring a Vela satellite and a mock-up of a

Defense Support Program The Defense Support Program (DSP) is a program of the United States Space Force that operated the reconnaissance satellites which form the principal component of the ''Satellite Early Warning System'' used by the United States. DSP satellite ...

satellite. * Space Control displays including interactive kiosks on the role of the space and missile warning missions of Air Force Space Command * Nuclear Hotline Telephone Dating to the Cold War which started the NORAD Tracks Santa Program.

Aircraft on display

* Avro CF-100 Canuck ''100779'' *

Convair F-102A Delta Dagger The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was an American interceptor aircraft designed and manufactured by Convair. Built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s, it entered service in 1956. Its main purpo ...

''56-1109'' *

Convair F-106A Delta Dart The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft of the United States Air Force from the 1960s through to the 1980s. Designed as the so-called "Ultimate Interceptor", it proved to be the last specialist interceptor i ...

''59-0134'' * Curtiss P-40E Warhawk – replica * Lockheed EC-121T Warning Star ''52-3425'' *

Lockheed F-94C Starfire The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet powered all-weather, day/night interceptor of the United States Air Force. A twin-seat craft, it was developed from the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star trainer in the late 1940s. It reached ope ...

''50-1006'' * Lockheed F-104C Starfighter ''56-0936'' *

Lockheed T-33A The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then d ...

''57-0713'' * Martin EB-57E Canberra ''55-4279'' * McDonnell CF-101B Voodoo ''101044'' * McDonnell F-101B Voodoo ''58-0274'' *

McDonnell F-4C Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and ...

''64-0799'' * McDonnell Douglas CF-188 Hornet ''188723'' *

McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas' ...

''76-0024'' * North American F-86L Sabre ''53-0782'' *

Northrop F-89J Scorpion The Northrop F-89 Scorpion was an American all-weather, twin-engined interceptor aircraft built during the 1950s, the first jet-powered aircraft designed for that role from the outset to enter service. Though its straight wings limited its pe ...

''52-1941'' *

Republic P-47N Thunderbolt The P-47 Thunderbolt was a World War II fighter aircraft built by Republic Aviation from 1941 to 1945. Early designs XP-47 (AP-10) In response to a USAAC requirement for a new fighter aircraft, Republic Aviation engineer Alexander Kartveli p ...

''44-89425''

References

External links

* {{authority control Aerospace museums in Colorado Museums in Colorado Springs, Colorado Military and war museums in Colorado Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Airports on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Springs, Colorado Transportation buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado

History

Exhibits

Aircraft on display

See also

References

External links