Peterson Air and Space Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1982 |
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| Location | Peterson Air Force Base 150 E. Ent Avenue Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Type | Aerospace museum |
Peterson Air and Space Museum is located inside Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Admission to the museum is free, but access is controlled due to security concerns. The Museum has various aircraft, mainly focusing on the Cold War roles of USAF Air Defense Command (ADC), and Aerospace Defense Command (ADCOM)., and currently, Air Force Space Command (AFSPC).
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. 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:
- A P-47N Thunderbolt named "Wild Hair"
- Displays on the air warning mission of the Air Defense Command during the cold war
- 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, CF (formerly RCAF) Ser. No. 100779
- Convair F-106A Delta Dart, AF Ser. No. 59-0134
- Convair F-102A Delta Dagger, AF Ser. No. 56-1109
- Curtiss P-40E Warhawk, Replica Aircraft
- Lockheed F-104C Starfighter, AF Ser. No. 56-0936 (Painted as 56-0808)
- Lockheed EC-121T Warning Star, AF Ser. No. 52-3425
- Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star, AF Ser. No. 57-0713
- Martin EB-57E Canberra, AF Ser. No. 55-4279
- McDonnell CF-101B Voodoo, CF (formerly RCAF) Ser. No. 101044
- CF-101 is a former USAF F-101B, AF Ser. No. 57-0381, that was transferred to Canada in 1971
- McDonnell F-101B Voodoo, AF Ser. No. 58-0274
- McDonnell F-15A Eagle, AF Ser. No. 76-0024
- McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom, AF Ser. No. 64-0799 (Painted as 63-7589)
- North American F-86L Sabre, AF Ser. No. 53-0782
- Northrop F-89J Scorpion, AF Ser. No. 52-1941
- Republic P-47N Thunderbolt, AAF Ser. No. 44-89425
- Lockheed F-94C Starfire, AF Ser. No. 50-1006
- McDonald Douglas CF-188 (more commonly known as CF-18), RCAF Ser. No. 188723
