The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a cutting-edge observatory built to explore the cosmos using infrared astronomy. As the largest space telescope ever launched, it’s equipped with highly sensitive and high-resolution instruments, enabling it to detect celestial objects that are too distant, faint, or ancient for the Hubble Space Telescope to capture. Webb is…
RP-99 The design study and proposal for a small surveillance drone designated as the RP-99 were completed in March 1962. This vehicle was to be constructed of fiberglass panels bonded to paper or phenolic honeycomb cores. The RP-99 was to be powered by a McCulloch MC-20, 9-hp engine which drove counter-rotating propellers through a gear…
F/A-18A One Quarter Scale Model From YF-17 to F/A-18A The roots of the F-18 trace back to the early 1970s, when Northrop developed the YF-17 Cobra as part of the US Air Force’s Lightweight Fighter (LWF) competition. Although the YF-17 lost to the General Dynamics YF-16, the Navy saw potential in the twin-engine YF-17 for carrier operations. To adapt…
The Apollo Lunar Module was built for the US Apollo program to achieve the actual transit from Moon orbit to the surface and back. The module was also known as the LM from the manufacturer designation (yet pronounced “LEM” from NASA’s early name for it, “Lunar Excursion Module”). The module was designed to carry two crew in a 6.5…
Doak Aircraft Company Edmond R. Doak, Jr., a self-taught engineer and visionary, contributed significantly to the aviation industry, although he was largely unknown. Doak joined the military during World War I as an aircraft inspector, worked for Glenn L. Martin, North American Aviation and Douglas Aircraft Company. In 1939, Edmond Doak founded the Doak Aircraft…
The General Electric J47 turbojet (GE company designation TG-190) was developed by General Electric from its earlier J35 engine. It first flew in May 1948. The J47 was the first axial-flow turbojet approved for commercial use in the United States. The engine was produced in at least 17 different series and was used to power…
The museum has a mock-up of the NASA Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). The CEV was part of a modular space system envisioned by NASA in 2004 called Constellation intended to carry humans to the International Space Station and later to the moon and Mars. The CEV was to be carried into space aboard the Orion…
Lomita Flight Strip In 1941, the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads purchased 480 acres of the Weston Ranch property in what was then Lomita and developed the Lomita Flight Strip as an emergency landing field for military aircraft and a program to encourage civil air transportation projects. Following Pearl Harbor, all civil aviation within 200…
Apollo Cabinet Within the past years, we have celebrated the 50th anniversary of two major milestone of the space program: the first landing of man on the moon, Apollo 11, and the rescue of three astronauts on an aborted mission to the moon, Apollo 13. To place men on the moon required a very large…
The Women in Aerospace Exhibit and accompanying school visit curriculum allows students to learn about the accomplishments and careers of the women profiled. Gender stereotypes often dissuade women from pursuing their interests in the subject areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Visitors are invited to question stereotypes about the capabilities of women in…
The Lockheed YO-3A “Quiet Star” is a single-engined, propeller-driven monoplane that was developed for battlefield observation during the Vietnam War. It was designed to be as quiet as possible, and was intended to observe troop movements in near-silence during hours of darkness. The YO-3A was not armed The YO-3A was designed to a U.S. Army…
Flight Proven NV-144 provides Low Risk Airframe for Reconnaissance and Target Payloads A three-year Northrop development program validated the aerodynamics, propulsion, and controllability of the NV-144. Now the Navy, Marines, and Air Force can use this flight-proven vehicle to minimize technical risks in obtaining a common reconnaissance and target unmanned aeronautical vehicle. By adapting payloads…
The link trainer pictured is a 1942 Model C-3, the term Link Trainer, also known as the “blue box,” is commonly used to refer to a series of flight simulators produced between the early 1930s and early 1950s by Edwin Albert Link, based on technology he pioneered in 1929 at his family’s business in Binghamton,…
The BD-5 Sport Plane was designed by Jim Bede, assisted by Bert Rutan, in the early 1970’s. It was an experimental homebuilt kit, single seat high performance aircraft. It is a low wing pusher propeller configuration. Design features include all-metal construction, mechanical retractable landing gear, detachable wings, and wrist action side stick control as used…
STS Space Shuttle (model) The Space Shuttle is a reusable U.S. space vehicle. Developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it consists of a winged orbiter, two solid-rocket boosters, and an external tank. As with previous spacecraft, the shuttle is launched from a vertical position. Liftoff thrust is derived from the orbiter’s three…
