The South Dakota Air and Space Museum, part of the museum system of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, is located in Box Elder, South Dakota, just outside the main gate of Ellsworth AFB. The South Dakota Air and Space Museum serves to educate and entertain the public. Not only does it give information about the history of U.S. Air Force aviation, it promotes South Dakota aviation history. The Museum was revived by SSGT. John L Pascarella in the mid 1980s before he retired in 1987. He was responsible for getting most of the aircraft that are on display, including the B-1B Lancer and the B-29 Superfortress.
During the summer months, visitors can take a base bus tour for a nominal fee. This includes touring a Minuteman missile Training Launch Facility as well as seeing a number of sites on the base.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Exhibits
The museum contains a number of interior and exterior exhibits, including:
- 30 aircraft ranging from World War Two bomber and transport aircraft to the contemporary B-1B Lancer
- 4 different missiles, including a LGM-30 Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
- The museum's four indoor galleries showcase AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY, COLD WAR history, Aviation PIONEERS and Ellsworth Air Force Base history
- The South Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame
- A Minuteman Missile crew Mission Procedures Trainer exhibit
- An F-106 interactive aircraft cockpit
- An MQ-9 Reaper RPV flight simulator
- A B-1B bomber cockpit and Offensive/Defensive System Operators Simulator exhibit
- An exhibit describing the Stratobowl Balloon Launches from South Dakota in the 1930s
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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