Peterson Air and Space Museum is an aviation museum located at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado focused on the history of the Air Defense Command, Aerospace Defense Command and Air Force Space Command.
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 memorial. There are two hangars also in the courtyard that have been converted into museum buildings. One was formerly used by the Broadmoor 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: Semi-Automatic Ground Environment Displays on the missile warning mission of NORAD during the Cold War: Ballistic Missile Early Warning System Decommissioned computer equipment from the Cheyenne Mountain Complex A Peacekeeper payload shroud A Mk. 21 re-entry vehicle for a thermonuclear weapon A training simulator for a Peacekeeper missile launch control center An exhibit related to the 460th Space Wing, featuring a Vela satellite and a mock-up of a Defense Support Program 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 56-1109 Convair F-106A Delta Dart 59-0134 Curtiss P-40E Warhawk – replica Lockheed EC-121T Warning Star 52-3425 Lockheed F-94C Starfire 50-1006 Lockheed F-104C Starfighter 56-0936 Lockheed T-33A 57-0713 Martin EB-57E Canberra 55-4279 McDonnell CF-101B Voodoo 101044 McDonnell F-101B Voodoo 58-0274 McDonnell F-4C Phantom II 64-0799 McDonnell Douglas CF-188 Hornet 188723 McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle 76-0024 North American F-86L Sabre 53-0782 Northrop F-89J Scorpion 52-1941 Republic P-47N Thunderbolt 44-89425
Other items on display
CIM-10 Bomarc supersonic ramjet missile AIR-2 Genie nuclear air-to-air rocket
See also CAF Rocky Mountain Wing Museum, Grand Junction, CO Colorado Aviation Historical Society, Denver, CO Pueblo Historical Aircraft Society, Pueblo, CO Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum, Pueblo, CO Spirit of Flight Center, Lafayette, CO Vintage Aero Flying Museum, Platte Valley Airpark Hudson, CO Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, Denver, CO
Related lists National Register of Historic Places listings in El Paso County, Colorado List of aerospace museums
References
External links