Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum facts for kids

Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum

SR-71A Blackbird on display
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Former name	Strategic Aerospace Museum Strategic Air Command Museum Strategic Air & Space Museum
Established	1959, 1998
Location	Ashland, Nebraska (1998– ) Offutt AFB (1959–1998)
Type	Aviation museum
Founder	Col. A. A. Arnhym

The Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum is a cool place to learn about airplanes, missiles, and space vehicles. These amazing machines were used by the United States Air Force. The museum is located near Ashland, Nebraska, which is southwest of Omaha. Its main goal is to keep these historic items safe and teach people about them. It also helps visitors learn about the Cold War era. The Cold War was a time of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. It lasted from the end of World War II until about 1991.

Museum History

The museum's story began in 1959. It started at Offutt Air Force Base, near Bellevue, Nebraska. This base was the main home for the Strategic Air Command (SAC). SAC was a very important part of the U.S. Air Force. Its job was to manage long-range bombers and missiles.

General Curtis LeMay had a big idea to create a museum. He wanted to save and show off historic aircraft. So, the museum opened with its first airplane. It was first called the Strategic Aerospace Museum. Over the years, its name changed a few times. It was known as the Strategic Air Command Museum or SAC Museum. In 1970, the state of Nebraska took over running the museum.

For many years, the museum's planes were kept outside. This meant they were exposed to all kinds of weather. To protect these valuable aircraft, a big change happened. On May 16, 1998, the museum moved indoors. A huge effort raised $33 million to make this possible. The new location is easy to get to, between Omaha and Lincoln. Some planes, like the Douglas C-124 and C-133, moved to another museum.

The new museum building is very impressive. It cost $29.5 million to build. It covers about 300,000 square feet (27,870 square meters). The building has a beautiful glass entrance area. It also has two large hangars to display aircraft. There's a special area for traveling exhibits. Kids can enjoy an interactive gallery. The museum also has a theater, a gift shop, and a snack bar. You can even watch planes being restored in the restoration gallery. The glass entrance area has 525 glass panels. Inside, a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird spy plane is displayed high up. Outside the museum, three large missiles stand tall.

The museum's name changed again on June 15, 2001. It became the Strategic Air & Space Museum. This change was made to attract more people. It also helped the museum offer exciting educational programs. These programs aim to spark interest in space and aviation. Then, on June 25, 2015, the name changed one more time. It became the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. This name helps connect back to the museum's original goal. That goal is to preserve the history of the Strategic Air Command. It also promotes interest in aviation and science for everyone.

Amazing Collection

Strategic Air Command shield
on exterior of museum

Lockheed U-2C on display

The collection includes the Apollo Block 1 command module from the Apollo program's uncrewed February, 1966, AS-201 mission

The museum has a fantastic collection of aircraft, rockets, and spacecraft. Many of these items played a big role in the Cold War.

Aircraft

Rockets and Missiles

Spacecraft