Peterson Air and Space Museum

10/28/2026

ON THIS DAY IN U.S. AIR FORCE HISTORY: 1985 - The first six female officers started initial qualification training for Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile combat crew duty. All six women previously worked with the Titan II missile system. They finished the class on February 7, 1986.

On March 25, 1986, for the first time, an all-woman Minuteman missile crew served on alert duty at the 351st Strategic Missile Wing, Whiteman AFB, Missouri. Captain Linda S. Aldrich and fellow “pioneer” Captain Nancy K. Dean (pictured) became the first all-female crew to stand alert at Whiteman.

10/27/2026

🛰️🛰️🛰️ Space Heritage Spotlight! 🚀🚀🚀

October 29th, 1998 - John H. Glenn, Jr., a former US Senator and the first US astronaut to orbit Earth, returned to space on the Space Shuttle Discovery. At 76, Glenn became the oldest person to enter space. He participated in a test to determine the effects of microgravity on the elderly.

10/26/2026

We remember...

Today, on National Day of the Deployed, CFC honors the service members deployed around the world in defense of our nation.

From the ground to the space domain, their commitment, sacrifice and readiness strengthen the Joint Force and help safeguard our nation and our allies.

To those serving far from home, and the families supporting them, we thank you.

10/26/2026

Due to unforeseen circumstances, our tentative reopening date is now February 17th, 2027.

Direct questions to museum staff at 719-556-8314/5543 or email us at [email protected].

10/24/2026

Enabling international partnerships and cooperation...

10/22/2026

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!

We need your help. The Peterson Air and Space Museum is looking for help in telling our air and space heritage story. We need tour guides and museum store staff. If you are 18 years old or older, love meeting new people, we'd love to meet you!

For more information about volunteer opportunities, call 719-556-8314, or email us at [email protected].

10/21/2026

ON THIS DAY IN U.S. AIR FORCE HISTORY: 1961 - The USAF launched MIDAS IV, a heat-sensing satellite that could detect missile launches, from Point Arguello, California into a 2,100-mile circular orbit. Under Project West Force, the Midas IV then ejected millions of copper wires to form a reflecting belt in space to aid radio communications. The wires failed to disperse as planned. A week into the mission, MIDAS IV died when its batteries ran down after failure of a solar panel.

The Missile Defense Alarm System, or MIDAS, was a U.S. system of 12 early-warning satellites that provided limited notice of Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile launches between 1960 and 1966. Originally, it was intended to serve as a complete early-warning system working in conjunction with the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System, or BMEWS. Cost and reliability concerns limited the project to a research and development role.
Three of the system's 12 launches ended in failure, and the remaining nine satellites provided crude infrared early-warning coverage of the Soviet Union until the project was replaced by the Defense Support Program satellite system. Though MIDAS failed in its primary role as a system of infrared early-warning satellites, it pioneered the technologies needed in successor systems.

10/20/2026

Our friends at Patrick Space Force Base continue to deliver space launch success!