Ames Research Center, NASA research facility in Mountain View, California, US
Ames Research Center is a NASA facility in Mountain View, California. The compound includes wind tunnels, simulators, and laboratories spread across a sprawling campus at the southern edge of the bay.
The site opened in late 1939 as a facility of the National Advisory Committee and became part of the newly created space agency in 1958. Over the following decades, the center expanded into fields such as astrobiology and robotics.
The center takes its name from the founder of the aeronautics research committee and now houses projects on artificial intelligence and planetary exploration. Visitors see modern labs where teams work on flight simulations and space missions.
The public area welcomes visitors on weekdays, while the main campus remains mostly closed. Access to the laboratories happens through guided programs offered regularly.
The center operates one of the largest supercomputers in the country, calculating climate models and aircraft designs. Researchers also use this system for computing asteroid trajectories and planetary surfaces.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
