STRATEGIC AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

The 'Strategic Air and Space Museum' is located near Ashland, Nebraska, along Interstate 80. The museum began in 1959 as the 'Strategic Aerospace Museum' at Offutt Air Force Base, but its name changed to the 'Strategic Air Command Museum' or 'SAC Museum' . In 1998, the museum moved to its present $29.5 million facility. The name was changed again in 2001 to the current 'Strategic Air and Space Museum' though it is still referred to as the 'SAC Museum'. In 1959, the first plane in the collection of the Strategic Aerospace Museum arrived at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. General Curtis LeMay's vision of a Museum that preserved historic aircraft had become a reality. Over the years, the Museum grew in size and popularity, and the name was changed to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) Museum.
In 1998, after a 33 million-dollar grass roots capital campaign, the Museum moved to a location more accessible to the public With the rapid growth of the Museum, discussion began regarding reconsideration of its Aerospace heritage.
On June 15, 2001 the name of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) Museum was changed to the Strategic Air & Space Museum. This change incorporated the Museum's rich past while reaching out to a growing audience through dynamic programming and exciting educational programs that captivate the interests and imaginations of everyone. The Museum will always be rooted in preserving the history of the Strategic Air Command and its role in securing peace. The future of the Museum will offer its ever-increasing number of visitors who seek to learn about math, science, engineering, aviation, and space through traveling and permanent exhibits and educational programs.
The Strategic Air & Space Museum is regarded as the nation's foremost facility of its kind, the $29.5 million museum opened on May 16, 1998, and preserves aircraft and missiles for future generations. The Museum is a 300,000 square foot building that features a glass atrium, two aircraft display hangars, a traveling exhibit area, a children's interactive gallery, a 200-seat theater, a Museum store, an aircraft restoration gallery, and a snack bar. The glass atrium is a breathtaking structure constructed of 525 glass panels that encase a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. The two aircraft display hangars protect the aircraft collection and exhibits from harsh outdoor elements. The museum participates in an exhibit exchange program with other national museums and displays them in the traveling exhibit area.
The museum is housed in a 300,000 ft² building that includes two display hangars, one restoration hangar, and a glass atrium showcasing an SR-71A Blackbird. The museum's collection includes examples of most aircraft operated by the Strategic Air Command, including:

★ Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress

★ Boeing B-29TB Superfortress

★ Boeing KC-97G Stratofreighter

★ Convair B-36J Peacemaker, one of only four surviving

★ McDonnell XF-85 Goblin, one of only two ever produced

★ Boeing B-47 Stratojet

★ Boeing B-52B Stratofortress

★ Convair B-58 Hustler

★ Lockheed U-2C Dragon Lady

★ Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird

★ Boeing EC-135 Looking Glass

★ North American B-25N Mitchell

★ Apollo Block I Command Module, flown on AS-201

★ Rockwell B-1A Lancer, one of only two surviving

★ Avro Hawker Vulcan, one of three on display in the United States

★ General Dynamics FB-111A S/N 68-0267

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External links

External links

★ Official website