National Electronics Museum facts for kids
Front entrance
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| Established | 1980 |
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| Location | Linthicum, Maryland (closed) Hunt Valley, Maryland (planned) |
| Founder | Robert Dwight |
The National Electronics Museum is a special place in Linthicum, Maryland. It shows the amazing history of electronics used for defense in the United States. You can see old telegraphs, radios, radars, and even satellites.
The museum is near the Baltimore/Washington International Airport. It has many exhibits where you can learn by doing. There is also a library for people who want to do research. Plus, an amateur radio station broadcasts live from the museum every week. This station, called K3NEM/W3GR, uses both old and new communication gear.
Museum History
The National Electronics Museum was started by people who worked at Westinghouse. Robert L. Dwight, a Westinghouse employee, began collecting items in 1973. He held a "Family Day" to show off his co-workers' projects. This event was called "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow." It showed how the company had grown over time.
Dwight then wanted to find more radar systems and other electronics. He teamed up with Jack Sun, a former U.S. Air Force officer. Their first goal was to get a BOMARC missile radar from the Department of Defense. This missile had the first airborne pulse-doppler radar, called AN/DPN-53. To get it, they needed to become a non-profit museum. This means they would not make money from their work.
With help from a Westinghouse lawyer, they officially started the National Electronics Museum in 1980.
Westinghouse helped with money and storage space. In 1983, the museum got about 190 square meters (2,000 sq-ft) of space. By 1986, it grew to 370 square meters (4,000 sq-ft). At first, volunteers ran the museum. In 1989, they hired their first paid employee. The museum moved to Friendship Square in 1992.
In 1996, Northrop Grumman bought Westinghouse. They continued to support the museum. The museum closed for a short time in 1999 for construction. It reopened with over 2000 square meters (22,000 sq-ft) of space. This new space included a conference room, an event hall, and a special storage area.
The museum offers fun learning programs. These include YESS (Young Engineers and Scientists) and the yearly Robot Fest. Robot Fest happens every April. They also offer the Robert L. Dwight scholarship. Many people and groups help the museum with donations. Over 30 volunteers give more than 5,000 hours of their time each year.
In 2023, the museum closed its doors in Linthicum. It plans to move to Hunt Valley, Maryland. There, it will be next to the Computer Museum at System Source.
What You Can See: Galleries
The National Electronics Museum has twelve different exhibit areas. Each area focuses on a different part of electronics:
- Fundamentals Gallery: Learn about the basics of electricity and early electronics.
- Communications Gallery: See many communication devices, from the telegraph to modern computers. This includes Ham Radio and the famous Enigma Machine.
- Early Radar Gallery: Discover radar from World War II. You can even see the actual SCR-270 unit used at the Opana Radar Site on December 7, 1941.
- Cold War Radar Gallery: The Cold War led to many new technologies, including advanced radar.
- Modern Radar Gallery: See how radar has continued to improve over time.
- Countermeasures Gallery: As radar got better, so did ways to hide from it. This gallery shows jammers and other tools.
- Under Seas Gallery: Learn about SONAR and other technology used underwater.
- Electro-optical Gallery: Explore how infrared and other light technologies work. See how they are used.
- Space Sensor Gallery: This gallery looks at technologies used outside Earth. It includes satellites and cameras used on the Moon.
- Temporary Gallery: This space often changes, showing new and special exhibits.
- Outside Gallery: Six historic radar antennas are displayed outside the museum. They show 75 years of radar development.
Fun Events
- RobotFest – A robot festival held at the museum every year.
- Pioneer Camp – A summer camp held at the museum each year.
See also
Images for kids
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Closed for relocation sign, as of 2023
