Moffett Field
From Lighter than Air to Faster than Sound to Outer Space
The Bay Area
was still a fledgling
region in 1930,
lacking many of
the characteristics
for which it is
known today. The
Golden Gate Bridge
was still just
a dream. Alcatraz
was known as a
fort, not a prison.
And the area that
one day would
be recognized
as Silicon Valley
consisted primarily
of fields and
orchards.
It was with great
anticipation that
just before Christmas
that year residents
waited for word
about the possibility
of a new major
addition to the
growing area by
San Francisco
Bay.
The wait ended
on Dec. 12 when
the news arrived
from the East
Coast. A new air
base would be
built on a strip
of land between
Mountain View
and Sunnyvale
at a development
cost of $5 million.
The base would
be home to the
largest aircraft
the world had
yet known - a
dirigible called
the USS Macon.
The news sparked
celebrations throughout
the Bay Area.
Schools and banks
closed. A victory
parade of cars
wound its way
along the Peninsula.
Fire whistles
blew and sirens
rang.
The base, originally
named Sunnyvale
Naval Air Station,
would become better
known as NAS Moffett
Field. Its inception
would bring much-needed
jobs, income and
prominence to
this section of
Northern California.
But the news would
mean much more
in the long run,
as the San Jose
Mercury Herald
noted in 1931:
"It meant
also that industries
allied to aviation
will spring up
like mushrooms,
each bringing
its own payroll.
It means in short
that San Jose
and the Bay region
are on the threshold
of the most glorious
era of prosperity
in their history."
Crowds have played
a significant
role in the air
base's colorful
history. Large
numbers of residents
flocked to Mountain
View to witness
the visit of the
massive airship
Akron in 1932.
They returned
a year later to
see the Akron's
sister ship, the
USS Macon, arrive
at its new home
in Hangar 1.
They came year
after year to
see the Blue Angels
perform during
Moffett's post-World
War II era. And
they gathered
again to mark
the transfer of
Moffett Field's
operation from
the U.S. Navy
to NASA.
The people and
the buildings
in and around
the Moffett center
today prove the
prophecy of that
editorial's words.
The structures
visible from NASA/Ames
Research Center
to Lockheed Martin
Missiles and Space
Co. Inc. are testaments
that Moffett has
profoundly served
as a base not
only for aircraft
patrols - from
rigid airships
to P-3 Orions
- but as a center
for the growth
of new aviation
and space-related
industries and
facilities.
+ Jump to the top of the page.
Moffett Field History Tour: +
BACK +
Moffett History
Home +
FORWARD
For a text only version, please contact: access@mail.arc.nasa.gov
|
