Peterson Air and Space Museum, Aviation museum at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado Springs, United States.
The Peterson Air and Space Museum is a military aviation and space museum located on Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It occupies several buildings, including the original 1941 airport terminal and converted hangars, where aircraft, spacecraft, and technical equipment are on display.
The base served as a training airfield during World War II and grew into a key facility for the US Air Force in the decades that followed. The museum itself was established in 1982, building on a visitor center that Colonel Donald Parson had started in 1975.
The museum is named after Edward J. Peterson, a pilot who died in a training accident at the base in 1942. His name now marks the entrance to one of the larger collections of military aircraft in the western United States.
Because the museum is on an active military base, visitors need to arrange security clearance in advance before arriving. Bringing a valid photo ID is essential, as entry to the grounds is not possible without one.
The EC-121 Warning Star is the only aircraft in the collection that visitors can walk through, offering a direct look at Cold War surveillance equipment still in place. Stepping inside reveals how little space the crew had during long missions.
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