80- by 120-Foot Wind Tunnel, wind tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center
The 80- by 120-foot wind tunnel is an aerodynamic testing facility located in Santa Clara County designed to simulate airflow around objects and structures. The space accommodates large-scale models and full-size vehicles to study how air moves and interacts with surfaces under controlled laboratory conditions.
The facility was established as a research center for aerospace and engineering testing to support industrial development in Silicon Valley. It has played an important role in validating aerodynamic designs for various technical applications throughout its decades of operation.
Access is typically restricted to personnel and authorized visitors since the facility conducts active research operations. Those interested in learning more should inquire in advance, as tours or visits may only be arranged with prior appointment.
The facility can test not only scale models but also full-size vehicles, which makes it particularly valuable for regional industrial research. This scale and capacity distinguish it as one of the more overlooked yet essential testing grounds outside of university research centers.
Location: Santa Clara County
Inception: 1987
Part of: National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex
GPS coordinates: 37.41647,-122.06397
Latest update: December 6, 2025 19:09
Silicon Valley gathers the headquarters of big tech companies like Meta, Apple, Google, and Oracle. Their campuses are modern, with glass towers and low buildings surrounded by gardens. Apple Park forms a ring of glass amid the hills of Cupertino, while Oracle's blue cylindrical towers remind visitors of their database roots. Google has several areas in Mountain View with colorful buildings and large sculptures of Android mascots. Some garages show where these companies started. The one where Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded HP in 1939 in Palo Alto now has a plaque up. In Los Altos, the family garage where Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built the first Apple computers in 1976 is a place that curious visitors like to see. Stanford University, founded in the late 1800s, covers a large area south of San Francisco. Its labs and research programs still train engineers and entrepreneurs. Museums like the Intel museum tell the story of microprocessors from the 1960s onward.
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