{"nrhp_refnum":"85002799","name":"Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel","other_names":["Unitary Plan Facility"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Ames Research Center","address_restricted":false,"city":"Moffett Field","county":"Santa Clara County","state":"CA","lat":37.417063026500045,"lon":-122.06038060778556,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-10-03","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1985-10-03","areas_of_significance":["Other","Military","Engineering","Science"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A system of three wind tunnel test sections (one transonic, two supersonic) at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Santa Clara County, California. Construction began in 1950-1951 and ran until 1955, built by the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA).","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the facility shows the continued development of advanced aeronautical research facilities after World War II. These facilities formed the base on which NASA drew in 1958 to begin the American effort to land a man on the moon. It was a product of the 1949 Unitary Plan Act and serves as a crossover point from NACA to NASA, contributing to both aircraft and manned spacecraft development.","narrative":"Three wind tunnel test sections at NASA's Ames Research Center on Moffett Field, California, share one drive system of four intercoupled electric motors providing about 134 megawatts. The sections are an 11-by-11-foot transonic tunnel and two supersonic tunnels, 9 by 7 feet and 8 by 7 feet. The complex came out of the Unitary Plan Act, passed by Congress on October 27, 1949, which set up a coordinated national program of research facilities after the United States appeared to lag behind German missile and jet technology. The National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics built it between about 1950 and 1955, using three test sections so that one complex could simulate the full range of aircraft and missile flight. Boeing and Douglas airliners, the F-111, C-5A and B-1 were tested here. In the 1960s and 1970s nearly all NASA manned space vehicles, including the Space Shuttle, were also tested. The nomination presents it as a bridge between NACA and NASA research.","period_of_significance":"1955-Present","architect_builder":"NACA","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as in excellent condition, on its original site, occupied, with government and scientific use and restricted access.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.84572-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/85002799_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002799/e6b615dd4f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002799/e6b615dd4f-1600.webp","licence":"No restrictions","author":"NASA on The Commons","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unitary_Plan_Wind_Tunnel_(9413319283).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">NASA on The Commons</a>, <a href=\"https://www.flickr.com/commons/usage/\" rel=\"license noopener\">No restrictions</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unitary_Plan_Wind_Tunnel_(9413319283).jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100000470","name":"NASA Ames Wind Tunnel Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/california/nasa-ames-wind-tunnel-historic-district-100000470/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858105","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitary_Plan_Wind_Tunnel_(Mountain_View,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7887235"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/santa-clara-county/unitary-plan-wind-tunnel-85002799/"}