View source for Moffett Federal Airfield

{{Short description|Joint civil-military airport in California}}
{{redirect|NUQ|Nuq}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox airport
| name         = Moffett Federal Airfield
| nativename   = 
| nativename-a = 
| nativename-r = 
| image        = Kluft-photo-Moffett-Federal-Airfield-Oct-2008-Img 1911.jpg
| image-width  = 
| caption      = 
| IATA         = NUQ
| ICAO         = KNUQ
| FAA          = NUQ
| WMO =          74509
| type         = Public/military
| owner        = 
| operator     = [[Google]]<ref name="mn">{{cite news |last1=O'Brien |first1=Matt |title=Google takes over aging Moffett Field and its airship hangars |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/03/31/google-takes-over-aging-moffett-field-and-its-airship-hangars/ |access-date=4 October 2021 |work=The Mercury News |date=31 March 2015}}</ref>
| city-served  = 
| location     = [[Santa Clara County, California|Santa Clara County]], near [[Mountain View, California|Mountain View]] and [[Sunnyvale, California|Sunnyvale]], [[California]], US
| elevation-f  = 37
| elevation-m  = 11
| coordinates  = {{Coord|37|24|54|N|122|02|54|W|type:airport_region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
| website      = 
| metric-elev  = 
| metric-rwy   = 
| r1-number    = 14L/32R
| r1-length-f  = 9,197
| r1-length-m  = 2,803
| r1-surface   = [[Concrete]]
| r2-number    = 14R/32L
| r2-length-f  = 8,122
| r2-length-m  = 2,476
| r2-surface   = [[Asphalt concrete|Asphalt]]
| stat-year    = 
| stat1-header = 
| stat1-data   = 
| stat2-header = 
| stat2-data   = 
| footnotes    = Source: [[Federal Aviation Administration]]<ref name="FAA" />
}}

'''Moffett Federal Airfield''' {{Airport codes|NUQ|KNUQ|NUQ}}, also known as '''Moffett Field''', is a joint civil-military [[airport]] located in an [[Local government in California#Counties|unincorporated]] part of [[Santa Clara County, California|Santa Clara County]], [[California]], United States, between northern [[Mountain View, California|Mountain View]] and northern [[Sunnyvale, California|Sunnyvale]]. On November 10, 2014, [[NASA]] announced that it would be leasing {{convert|1000|acre}} of the airfield property to [[Google]] for 60 years.<ref>{{cite news|title=Google Takes Over NASA's Moffett Airfield for Robot and Space Research|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/google-takes-over-nasas-moffett-airfield-robot-space-research-n245561|publisher=[[NBC]]|date=10 November 2014}}</ref>

The airport is near the south end of [[San Francisco Bay]], northwest of [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]. Formerly a [[US Navy]] facility, the former [[naval air station]] is now owned and operated by the [[NASA Ames Research Center]]. Tenant military activities include the [[129th Rescue Wing]] of the [[California Air National Guard]], operating the [[HC-130J]] Combat King II and [[HH-60G]] Pave Hawk aircraft, as well as the adjacent Headquarters for the [[7th Psychological Operations Group]] of the [[US Army Reserve]]. Until July 28, 2010, the [[US Air Force]]'s [[21st Space Operations Squadron]] was also a tenant command at Moffett Field, occupying the former [[Onizuka Air Force Station]]. In addition to these military activities, NASA also operates several of its own aircraft from Moffett.<ref>{{cite web| title = Moffett Field History| publisher = [[NASA Ames Research Center]]| url = http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/about/aboutames-moffetfield.html| access-date = 2008-03-11| archive-date = 2008-03-11| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080311185858/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/about/aboutames-moffetfield.html| url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite gnis|type=retired|id=1653753|name=Moffett Field Naval Air Station (historical)|access-date=2009-05-03}}</ref>

[[Hangar One (Mountain View, California)|Hangars One]], Two, and Three, and the adjacent [[Shenandoah Plaza National Historic District|Shenandoah Plaza]] are collectively designated as a [[Historic District (United States)|National Historic District]] listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071013020811/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/santaclara/usn.htm US Naval Air Station Sunnyvale, CA Historic District (Moffett Field) Santa Clara County, California - National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary]</ref>

Hangar One is one of the world's largest freestanding structures, covering {{convert|8|acre|m2}}.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://oig.nasa.gov/audits/reports/FY11/IG-11-020.pdf | title = NASA'S HANGAR ONE RE-SIDING PROJECT | access-date = 2011-08-30 | archive-date = August 25, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120825160425/http://oig.nasa.gov/audits/reports/FY11/IG-11-020.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref> The hangar was constructed in 1931. Hangar One is a Naval Historical Monument, [[Historic American Engineering Record]] CA-335, State of California Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks. In May 2008, [[The National Trust for Historic Preservation]] listed Hangar One on their list of [[America's Most Endangered Places]].<ref>[https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20080521/ap_tr_ge/travel_yesterday_s_places_endangered_places Threats to history seen in budget cuts, bulldozers - Yahoo! News]</ref>

Hangar Two is one of the world's largest freestanding wood structures, as was Hangar Three before it was demolished in 2024. The hangars were constructed when the US Navy established ten [[Airship|lighter-than-air]] bases across the United States during [[World War II]] as part of the coastal defense plan. Five of the original seventeen of these wooden hangars still exist: one at Moffett Field, one at [[Tustin, California]], one at [[Tillamook, Oregon]], and two at [[Lakehurst Naval Air Station|Lakehurst, New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.navair.navy.mil/lakehurst/nlweb/glance-dynamic-template01.asp?urltoprint=glance-facilities-include.htm |title=At A Glance - Facilities |website=NAVAIR |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924192432/http://www.navair.navy.mil/lakehurst/nlweb/glance-dynamic-template01.asp?urltoprint=glance-facilities-include.htm |archive-date=September 24, 2012}}</ref>

The adjacent NASA Ames Research Center is also home to several [[wind tunnel]]s, including the [[Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (Mountain View, California)|Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel]] (a [[National Historic Landmark]]), and the [[Ames Research Center#National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC)|National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex]].

Occasionally, various jets from the [[United States Marine Corps]] will temporarily stay at the airfield before heading out to the numerous [[Military operations area|military operations areas]] nearby along the California coast.

==History==
{{see|Timeline of Moffett Airfield}}
===Sunnyvale operations===
In 1930, the city of [[Sunnyvale, California|Sunnyvale]] acquired a {{convert|1000|acre|km2|adj=on}} parcel of farmland bordering [[San Francisco Bay]], paid for with nearly {{US$|480000|1930}} raised by the citizens of [[Santa Clara County, California|Santa Clara County]],<ref>McDonell, Michael G., "Moffett Field ...a long way from Macon", ''Naval Aviation News'', Chief of Naval Operations and the Naval Air Systems Command, Arlington, Virginia, March 1971, Volume 52, page 36.</ref> then "sold" the parcel for $1 to the US government as a home base for the Navy [[airship]] [[USS Macon (ZRS-5)|USS ''Macon'']]. The location proved to be ideal for an airport, since the area is often clear while other parts of the San Francisco Bay are covered in fog. This is due to the [[Santa Cruz Mountains|Coast Range]] to the west, which blocks the cold oceanic air that is the cause of [[San Francisco fog]].

===Naval operations===
[[File:Moffett Field circa 1934.jpg|thumb|left|Established in 1931, Moffett Field in [[Sunnyvale, California|Sunnyvale]]/[[Mountain View, California|Mountain View]] has played a strategic role in Silicon Valley's evolution, researching and developing key technologies, first for the [[U.S. military]] and then for [[NASA]]. Today it hosts the [[NASA Ames Research Center|Ames Research Center]].]]
The naval air station (NAS) was authorized by an Act of Congress, signed by President [[Herbert Hoover]] on 12 February 1931. Construction of the original facilities was begun 8 July 1931.<ref name=BYD>{{harvnb|Bureau of Yards and Docks, US Navy|1947| loc=p. 251, Volume I&nbsp;— Part II: The Continental Bases}}</ref> The base was originally named '''Airbase Sunnyvale CAL''' as it was thought that calling it Mountain View would cause officials to fear airships colliding with mountainsides.<ref name="DeBolt">{{cite news |last= DeBolt|first=Daniel |date= 2008-11-28|title= Moffett Field's serendipitous 75th anniversary|url=https://www.mv-voice.com/listings/items/2008-11-28/|work=Mountain View Voice|page=6|access-date=2024-09-25|ref=none}}</ref> The original station was commissioned on 12 April 1933 and dedicated '''NAS Sunnyvale'''.<ref name=BYD/> After the death of [[Rear Admiral]] [[William A. Moffett]], who is credited with the creation of the airfield,<ref name="nps">{{cite web | url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/santaclara/usn.htm | title=US Naval Air Station Sunnyvale, CA Historic District (Moffett Field) | work=California's Historic Silicon Valley | publisher=[[National Park Service]] | access-date=2007-03-13 | archive-date=2007-04-07 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070407001525/http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/santaclara/usn.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref> in the loss of the [[USS Akron (ZRS-4)|USS ''Akron'']] on 4 April 1933, the airfield at NAS Sunnyvale was renamed '''Moffett Field''' on 1 September 1933. In the tradition of the Navy, the installation is named for the surrounding city, while the airfield on the installation, including runways, can be named after an individual. Examples include Forrest Sherman Airfield at NAS Pensacola and Halsey Airfield at NAS North Island.

After the ''Macon'' crashed in the Pacific Ocean on 12 February 1935, the Navy considered closing NAS Sunnyvale and Moffett Field at due to its high cost of operations. Also, in San Diego, the Army and Navy were having jurisdictional issues over [[Naval Air Station North Island]] in San Diego harbor, which had both [[NAS San Diego]] as well as the Army's [[Rockwell Field]] dividing the island. The Navy wanted the Army out of North Island as it needed to expand NAS San Diego as a training airfield for its growing number of aircraft carrier pilots. The Army resisted strongly, as Rockwell Field was a major training airfield for flight cadets, and had been using the field for flight training since 1912. With the subtle assistance of [[President Franklin Roosevelt]], a former assistant secretary of the Navy, a complex arrangement of facilities realignment was made by the War Department which transferred NAS Sunnyvale and Moffett Field to Army jurisdiction and Rockwell Field to the Navy in October 1935, becoming [[NAS North Island]].<ref name="Rockwell">[http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/v52-3/pdf/2006-3_air.pdf Forgotten Air Pioneers: The Army’s Rockwell Field at North Island]</ref>

Upon taking jurisdiction of NAS Sunnyvale and Moffett Field, the base was renamed Army Air Corps Training Base Sunnyvale. The Army also took on the high cost of Hangar One's maintenance and wanted to inactivate the facility. However, President Roosevelt would not allow the closure of the facility, and the Army assigned Moffett to its [[Western Flying Training Command]] as headquarters for pilot and aircrew flight training west of the [[Rocky Mountains]]. Also in 1939, the former NAS Sunnyvale saw the establishment of the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory.<ref name="CAMUS">[http://www.militarymuseum.org/NASMoffettFld.html Historic California Posts Naval Air Station, Moffett Field]</ref>

As an aftermath of the [[Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor]], the Navy wanted to use Moffett Field and the large dirigible hangar for blimp operations along with Pacific Coast. However, the Army, still stinging about having to transfer Rockwell Field to the Navy, resisted strongly. Again the inter-service rivalry was overruled by the War Department, citing the Navy's need for coastal defense a priority and ordered the Army to move its training headquarters to [[Hamilton Air Force Base|Hamilton Field]] in Marin County, north of San Francisco.<ref name="CAMUS"/>

[[File:Aerial View of the NASA Ames Research Center - GPN-2000-001560.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial view of NAS Moffett Field and NASA Ames Research Center in 1982]]

On April 16, 1942, control of the facility was returned to the Navy and it was recommissioned as NAS Sunnyvale.<ref name=BYD/> Four days later it was again renamed Naval Air Station Moffett Field, thereby becoming one of the few Naval Air Stations named after an individual. The Navy then built Hangars 2 and 3 on the eastern side of the runways for additional blimp operations. Due to the priority of metal for use in building war materials such as airplanes, ships and tanks, these two hangars were built from wood and concrete. From the end of [[World War II]] until its closure, NAS Moffett Field saw the development and use of several generations of land-based anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrol aircraft, including the [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]] [[P2V Neptune]] and [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]] [[P-3 Orion]]. Until the demise of the [[Soviet Union|USSR]] and for some time thereafter, daily [[anti-submarine]], maritime reconnaissance, Fleet support, and various training sorties flew out from NAS Moffett Field to patrol along the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] coastline, while Moffett's other squadrons and aircraft periodically deployed to other Pacific, Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf bases for periods of up to six months.

The onset of the Korean War brought a restructuring of the Navy's disposition of air forces, resulting in several squadrons being transferred to the Moffett Field as well as [[Naval Air Station Alameda]]. During the 1950s the Moffett served as the fighter base, with Alameda hosting attack aircraft. Naval aircraft home based in Moffett included the [[F9F Panther]] and [[FJ-3 Fury]]. On Feb. 1, 1957, a Navy Thunderjet plane piloted by Capt. Robert Mulvehill, 32, of Edenburg, PA, crashed at 3:25&nbsp;p.m. in Mountain View while on approach to Moffett Field. The plane was travelling parallel to Castro Street when it crashed near the corner of California and Oak Streets, narrowly missing an elementary school, according to the Mountain View Register-Leader—the local paper of record at the time.

By the end of the 1950s the Navy was looking to consolidate assets as the majority of carrier based aircraft had transitioned to larger jet powered aircraft, needing longer runways. The majority of squadrons based at Moffett transferred to [[Naval Air Station Miramar]] when they transitioned to the [[F-8 Crusader]]; while attack aircraft from Alameda were relocated to the newly opened [[Naval Air Station Lemoore]]. By 1961, the last fighter aircraft had left Moffett Field.<ref name="VF-154 History">{{Cite web |url=http://www.vfa154.navy.mil/history.html |title=VF-154 History |access-date=2015-02-06 |archive-date=2015-02-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206093041/http://www.vfa154.navy.mil/history.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1960, the nearby [[Air Force Satellite Test Center]] (STC), was created adjacent to (on the SE corner of) NAS Moffett Field. Often referred to as "the Blue Cube," it was operational until 2010 as [[Onizuka Air Force Station]], part of the Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN). The building was demolished in 2014.

In August 1986 during the ''NAS Moffett Field Airshow'', the Italian demonstration team, [[Frecce Tricolori]], and the German Navy's F-104 flight demonstration team, the Vikings,<ref name="Vikings">{{cite web | url=http://www.fly-navy.de/vikings/vikings.html | title=The Vikings Display Team | access-date=2011-12-12}}</ref> performed in front of the crowd.

At its peak in the 1990s, NAS Moffett Field was the U.S. Navy's principal Pacific Fleet base for the P-3C operations. In addition to headquarters staffs for Commander, U.S. Patrol Wings Pacific Fleet (COMPATWINGSPAC); Commander, [[Patrol Wing 10]] (COMPATWING 10); and Commander, Reserve Patrol Wing Pacific / [[Patrol Wing 4]] (COMRESPATWINGPAC/COMPATWING 4), the air station also hosted [[Patrol Squadron THIRTY-ONE (VP-31)]]...the west coast P-3C Fleet Replacement Squadron, six additional active duty P-3C squadrons and a [[United States Navy Reserve|Naval Air Reserve]] P-3C squadron in addition to [[NASA]] and [[California Air National Guard]] aviation activities.

===Ames Research Center operations===
Post-[[Cold War]] defense cutbacks and related [[Base Realignment and Closure]] (BRAC) actions in the 1990s identified NAS Moffett Field for closure. The west coast Fleet Replacement Squadron, Patrol Squadron 31 ([[VP-31]]), was deactivated and its functions combined with its east coast counterpart, Patrol Squadron 30 (VP-30) at [[NAS Jacksonville]], Florida. Several active duty P-3C squadrons, the Naval Air Reserve P-3C squadron and COMRESPATWINGPAC/COMPATWING 4 were also deactivated, while COMPATWINGSPAC and [[Patrol Wing 10|COMPATWING 10]] (redesignated COMPATRECONWING 10) transferred to [[NAS Whidbey Island]], Washington and the remaining patrol squadrons transferred to [[NAS Whidbey Island]], Washington or [[NAS Barbers Point]], Hawaii until the latter's [[Base Realignment and Closure|BRAC]]-directed closure in 1999, at which time the Barbers Point squadrons moved to [[Marine Corps Air Facility Kaneohe Bay]], Hawaii.

On 1 July 1994, NAS Moffett Field was closed as a naval air station and turned over to the NASA [[Ames Research Center]]. NASA Ames now operates the facility as '''Moffett Federal Airfield'''. Since being decommissioned as a primary military installation, part of Moffett has been made accessible to the public, including a cordoned portion of the interior of the massive Hangar One.<!-- Reference: I was personally given a tour. - User:Reaverdrop --> There were once balloon rides given on show days, and micro-weather still occurs in the cavernous space.

Moffett Federal Airfield has occasional air traffic, with an average of 5-10 flights landing per day. Moffett is regularly used by the California [[Air National Guard]], NASA, [[Lockheed Martin Space Systems]] (commercial satellite manufacturer), the Google founders for their private planes, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department for their helicopter STAR 1, and [[Air Force One]] during [[U.S. President|presidential]] visits to the [[San Francisco Bay Area|Bay Area]].

[[File:Moffett Field.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Moffett Field from the east, with under-construction (in 2019) Google buildings visible on both sides of [[Stevens Creek (California)|Stevens Creek]] beyond the field]]

In 2008, the Ames Research Center leased 42 acres around the field to Google. In 2013 Google began building a 1.1 million square foot office complex consisting of nine buildings overlooking San Francisco Bay dubbed "Bay View." The buildings are to be the new headquarters for Google and will be part of the nearby [[Googleplex]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/pdf/255793main_June.08.Agram.smallfile.pdf |title=NASA, Google announce lease at Ames Research Center|author1=Mewhinney, Michael |website=NASA, Astrogram |date=June 2008 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324503204578320753525354828 Google Starting Construction on New Campus - WSJ.com]. Online.wsj.com (2013-02-22). Retrieved on 2013-09-23.</ref><ref>[http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2013/02/exclusive-preview-googleplex Exclusive Preview: Google’s New Built-from-Scratch Googleplex]. Vanity Fair. Retrieved on 2013-09-23.</ref>

== Hangar One ==
{{Main|Hangar One (Mountain View, California)}}
[[Image:Hangar One at Moffett Field 1963.jpg|thumb|View of Hangar One, the huge dirigible hangar, with doors open at both ends]]

Moffett Field's "[[Hangar One (Mountain View, California)|Hangar One]]" (built during the [[Great Depression|Depression]] era for the [[USS Macon (ZRS-5)|USS ''Macon'']]) and the row of [[World War II]] [[blimp]] [[hangar]]s are still some of the largest unsupported structures in the country. The [[airship hangar]] is constructed on a network of steel [[girder]]s sheathed with [[galvanized steel]]. It rests firmly upon a reinforced pad anchored to concrete [[piling]]s. The floor covers {{convert|8|acre|m2|spell=in}}) and can accommodate six (360 feet x 160 feet) [[American football|football]] fields. The airship hangar itself, measures {{convert|1,133|ft|m}} long and {{convert|308|ft|m}} wide. The building has aerodynamic architecture. Its walls curve upward and inward, to form an elongated dome {{convert|198|ft|m}} high. The clam-shell doors were designed to reduce turbulence when the ''Macon'' moved in and out on windy days. The "orange peel" doors, weighing 500 [[ton]]s (511.88 [[tonne]]s) each, are moved by their own 150 [[horsepower]] motors operated via an electrical control panel.

The airship hangar's interior is so large that [[fog]] sometimes forms near the ceiling.<ref name="nps"/> A person unaccustomed to its vastness is susceptible to optical disorientation. Looking across its deck, planes and tractors look like toys. Along its length maintenance shops, inspection laboratories and offices help keep the hangar busy. Looking up, a network of catwalks for access to all parts of the structure can be seen. Two elevators meet near the top, allowing maintenance personnel to get to the top quickly and easily.

[[narrow gauge railways|Narrow gauge]] tracks run through the length of the hangar. During the period of lighter-than-air dirigibles and non-rigid aircraft, the rails extended across the apron and into the fields at each end of the hangar. This tramway facilitated the transportation of an [[airship]] on the mooring mast to the airship hangar interior or to the flight position. During the brief period that the ''Macon'' was based at Moffett, Hangar One accommodated not only the giant airship but several smaller, non-rigid blimps simultaneously.

In 2003, plans to convert Hangar One to a space and science center were put on hold with the discovery that the structure was leaking toxic chemicals into the sediment in wetlands bordering San Francisco Bay. The chemicals originated in the lead paint and toxic materials, including [[polychlorinated biphenyl]]s (PCBs), used to coat the hangar. Options under debate included tearing down the hangar and reusing the land, and cleaning the toxic waste from the site and refurbishing the hangar for future preservation.

The US Navy evaluated options for remediating the PCBs, lead and asbestos, and NASA evaluated options for reuse of the hangar. Some historic and nonprofit groups wanted the hangar preserved as a historic landmark, as the hangar is a major Bay Area landmark and historic site.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.savehangarone.org/|title=Save Hangar One Committee home page|publisher=Savehangarone.org|access-date=16 December 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815085704/http://www.savehangarone.org/|archive-date=15 August 2012}}</ref>

In 2006, an offer to clean the hangar and coat its outsides with solar panels to recoup the costs of cleaning was floated by a private company, but the plan never saw fruition because it was too costly.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=0e31f772-779b-4519-ab3f-51117bd77876|title=NASA: New Use For Old Moffett Field Dirigible Hangar? }}</ref>

In August 2008, the Navy proposed simply stripping the toxic coating from the hangar and leaving the skeleton after spraying it with a preservative.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mv-voice.com/story.php?story_id=4343|title=Navy has an obligation to restore Hangar One|date=August 8, 2008|newspaper=Mountain View Voice|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927165528/http://www.mv-voice.com/story.php?story_id=4343|archive-date=September 27, 2011}}</ref> The Navy claimed that to reclad the structure would cost another $15 million and that this was NASA's responsibility. This was regarded as a partial victory by campaigners.{{citation needed|date=December 2010}}

In September 2008, NASA indicated that it was still urging the Navy to restore the hangar, but that it was willing to help save the structure; in particular, NASA was in favor of re-covering the structure at the same time that it was stripped.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mv-voice.com/news/show_story.php?id=828|title=NASA ready to help save Hangar One |date=September 5, 2008|newspaper=Mountain View Voice}}</ref>

[[File:Moffett Federal Airfield Hangar 1 skeleton.jpg|thumb|View of the hangar's skeleton during restoration in September 2012]] In April 2011, the exterior panels began coming down, starting at the top.

===Restoration===
On April 21, 2011, crews began stripping the [[Polychlorinated biphenyl|PCB]]-laced exterior panels of Hangar One.<ref>[http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_17841313 Hangar One's walls set to come down starting next week], ''[[San Jose Mercury News]]''</ref><ref>[http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_17903764?nclick_check=1 Dismantling of a Silicon Valley landmark: Hangar One demolition begins] ''[[San Jose Mercury News]]''</ref>

In November 2014, Planetary Ventures LLC, a [[Google]] subsidiary, signed a $1.16 billion, 60-year lease.<ref>{{cite web|title=Google Leases NASA's Moffett Field, Historic Hangar for $1.2 Billion|url=http://www.space.com/27741-google-leases-nasa-moffett-field.html|publisher=space.com|author=Mike Wall|date=11 November 2014|access-date=12 November 2014}}</ref> 
This would "save NASA approximately $6.3 million annually in maintenance and operation costs".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mv-voice.com/news/2014/11/11/google-backing-earth-air--space-collaboratory-at-moffett|title=Google backing Earth, Air & Space Collaboratory at Moffett|date=11 November 2014|work=Mountainview Voice|author1=Andrea Gemmet|access-date=20 November 2014}}</ref> Google planned to invest an additional $200 million to renovate and restore the structure.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/11/google-nasa-airbase-hangers-robots-planes-space-exploration|title=Google leases Nasa airbase for robots, planes and space exploration|last=Gibbs|first=Samuel|date=2014-11-11|newspaper=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|access-date=2016-09-24}}</ref>

==Hangars 2 & 3==
Moffett Field's Hangars Two and Three were built at the beginning of World War II for a program of coastal defense. Hangar Two is still one of the largest unsupported wooden structures in the country.

In 1940, the US Navy proposed to the US Congress the development of a lighter-than-air station program for anti-submarine patrolling of the coast and harbors. This program proposed the construction of new stations in addition to the expansion at NAS Lakehurst. The original contract was for steel hangars, {{convert|960|ft}} long, {{convert|328|ft}} wide and {{convert|190|ft}}, helium storage and service, barracks for 228 men, a power plant, landing mat, and a mobile mooring mast. The Second Deficiency Appropriation Bill for 1941, passed July 3, 1941, changed the authorization to the construction of 8 facilities to accommodate a total of 48 airships (as requested in 1940), but due to steel rations, a total of 17 large wooden hangars were built among 10 LTA bases.

As finally developed in 1943, LTA facilities in addition to [[NAS Lakehurst]] (2) and [[NAS Moffett Field]] (2), included [[Naval Air Station South Weymouth|NAS South Weymouth]] (1), [[Naval Air Station Weeksville|NAS Weeksville]] (1), [[Naval Air Station Glynco|NAS Glynco]] (2), [[Naval Air Station Richmond|NAS Richmond]] (3), [[Houma-Terrebonne Airport|NAS Houma]] (1), [[Naval Air Station Hitchcock|NAS Hitchcock]] (1), [[Marine Corps Air Station Tustin|NAS Santa Ana]] (2) and [[Naval Air Station Tillamook|NAS Tillamook]] (2). In the initial program, accommodations were provided for six airships at each station. This was later increased to twelve at seven of the stations and to eighteen at NAS Richmond as a result of an increase in the authorized strength to 200 airships.

An episode of the [[Discovery Channel]] TV show ''[[MythBusters]]'' used one of the hangars to disprove the myth that it is not possible to fold a sheet of paper in half more than seven times. The sheet of paper covered nearly the full width of the airship hangar. Other ''Mythbusters'' episodes have utilized the hangar to test myths such as "Inflating a football with helium allows longer kick distances" and "Airworthy aircraft can be constructed of concrete."

Hangar 3 was demolished in stages beginning in Summer 2024, after NASA and Google concluded it would be "cost-prohibitive" to repair.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2024/06/08/a-final-salute-to-moffett-fields-historic-hangar-3-as-its-demolished/|title=A final salute to Moffett Field's historic Hangar 3}}</ref>

[[File:Aerial photo of Moffett Federal Airfield Hangar 3 and Hangar 2.png|thumb|Aerial photo of Moffett Federal Airfield Hangar 3 in the final stages of being demolished and Hangar 2.]]

Five of the original 17 of the wooden hangars still exist: Moffett Field (1), Tustin, California (1), Tillamook, Oregon (1), and Lakehurst, New Jersey (2).

==Facilities==
Despite its closure as an active military base, Moffett Field still has many active facilities and residents. Active military families still live on Moffett Community Housing, and the former base has several lodges which primarily house academics and students associated with the [[Ames Research Center]]. Moffett Field's facilities available to residents include a Commissary, post office, golf course, and tennis courts.

===Status of former military buildings===
Many of the buildings at Moffett Field which once supported its active [[U.S. Military|military]] presence have been abandoned and left standing due to [[Asbestos abatement|asbestos contamination]] within the structures.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.moffettfieldmuseum.org/history.html |access-date=2025-08-10 |website=MOFFETT FIELD MUSEUM |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Moffett Federal Airfield |url=https://www.militarybases.us/air-force/moffett-federal-airfield/ |access-date=2025-08-10 |website=www.militarybases.us}}</ref>

===Airfield===
Moffett Field is an active [[airfield]], and has two active [[runway]]s:

*Runway 14L/32R: {{convert|9,197|x|200|ft|m|abbr=on}}, surface: concrete
*Runway 14R/32L: {{convert|8,122|x|200|ft|m|abbr=on}}, surface: asphalt<ref name=FAA>{{FAA-airport|ID=NUQ|use=PU|own|PU|site=01927*A}} effective April 22, 2021</ref>

===University facilities===
{{Main|NASA Research Park}}

Moffett Field currently hosts [[Carnegie Mellon West|Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley]] and will be the site of Berkeley Space Center, a new campus of [[University of California, Berkeley|UC Berkeley]]. These are within the base primarily to support the academic and research collaboration between these institutions and NASA Ames.

===Private aircraft===
Moffett Airfield is home to H211, LLC, owned by [[Google]] founders [[Larry Page]] and [[Sergey Brin]]. Through the LLC they pay $1.3 million a year to NASA to park their [[Boeing 767-200]] and [[Gulfstream V]] jets.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/13/BUPRS4MHA.DTL|title=Google founders pay NASA $1.3 million to land at Moffett Airfield|first=Verne|last=Kopytoff|date=September 13, 2007|access-date=2007-09-13|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref> The airplanes have also had scientific equipment installed by [[NASA]] to allow experiments to be run in flight.

[[Lockheed Martin]] and Jon Stark, a helicopter operator, also have use of the airfield.{{Citation needed|reason=No supporting documentation/sources provided|date=February 2023}}

In October 2008 the first Zeppelin airship to offer private flights in the United States since 1937's Hindenburg disaster<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2008/05/09/look-up-in-the-sky-zeppelin-company-airship-ventures-raises-8m/|title=Look, up in the sky: Zeppelin company Airship Ventures raises $8M|last=Ha|first=Anthony|date=May 9, 2009|website=Venture Beat|access-date=May 22, 2019}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}{{dubious|date=September 2015}} became available for tours of the Bay Area and beyond. The {{convert|246|ft|m|adj=on}} craft, operated by [[Airship Ventures]], was housed in Hangar Two,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2009/09-130AR.html|title=NASA Conducts Airborne Science Aboard Zeppelin Airship}}</ref> was built in Germany and was the fourth modern airship constructed and the third to be put in public service. It was dedicated and given the name ''Eureka'' at the celebration of Moffett Field's 75th anniversary.<ref name=DeBolt/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10819919|title=Zeppelin Debuts at Moffett}}</ref> Zeppelin flights ended in November 2012, and Airship Ventures ceased business. ''Eureka'' was disassembled and returned to Germany.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mountainview.patch.com/articles/airship-ventures-says-goodbye#photo-12541663 |title=Airship Ventures Says 'Goodbye' |author=Claudia Cruz |publisher=Mountain View Patch |date=2012-12-12 |access-date=2017-01-21}}</ref>

Strong community opposition to the use of the airfield by [[FedEx Express]] and [[UPS Airlines]] blocked the transition of the airfield to public use in the 1990s.{{Citation needed|reason=No supporting documentation/sources provided|date=September 2023}}

AirNav.com reports that "Moffett Field is now available to corporate and charter aircraft (jet fuel only)", with prior permission required for landing.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.airnav.com/airport/KNUQ/AVPORTS |title=Avports Moffett Field |website= AirNav.com |access-date= 2023-09-14}}</ref> Google subsidiary Planetary Ventures has retained contractor Avports LLC to manage the facilities<ref name="mn"/> and provide services as a [[fixed-base operator]] (FBO).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sites.google.com/a/pv-nuq.com/nuq/ |title=Welcome to Moffett Federal Airfield! |website= Avports |access-date= 2023-09-14}}</ref>

===United States Geological Survey (USGS)===
In 2016, the [[United States Geological Survey]] (USGS) announced plans to relocate its West Coast science center from nearby [[Menlo Park, California|Menlo Park]] to the Ames Research Center at Moffett Field.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Noack|first1=Mark|title=USGS moving to new home at Moffett Field|url=http://www.mv-voice.com/news/2016/09/19/usgs-eyes-new-home-at-moffett-field|access-date=27 November 2024|work=Mountain View Voice|date=19 September 2016}}</ref> The relocation formally began with a [[Opening ceremony|ribbon-cutting event]] in July 2019.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Noack|first1=Mark|title=USGS kicks off move from Menlo Park to Moffett Field|url=https://www.almanacnews.com/news/2019/07/11/usgs-kicks-off-move-from-menlo-park-to-moffett-field/|access-date=27 November 2024|work=Mountain View Voice|date=11 July 2019}}</ref> As of April 2024 the project was described as "wrapping up", with "full relocation ... scheduled by the end of the year."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gonzales|first1=Neil|title=USGS campus in Menlo Park approaches end of era while next chapter remains a question|url=https://www.mv-voice.com/menlo-park/2024/04/26/usgs-campus-in-menlo-park-approaches-end-of-era-while-next-chapter-remains-a-question/|access-date=27 November 2024|work=Mountain View Voice|date=26 April 2024}}</ref>

==Motor racing==
On August 16, 1953, the airfield was used for a meeting organised by the [[Sports Car Club of America]]. A 5.6&nbsp;km circuit was created using one of the main runways and adjacent taxiways.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chartres |first1=James |title=Notes From The Archives – Moffett Field |url=https://www.sfrscca.org/news/nfta-moffett-field-2416/ |website=www.sfrscca.org |access-date=6 September 2019}}</ref>

==Assigned units==
*[[129th Rescue Wing]], [[California Air National Guard]]
*[[63rd Army Reserve Command (United States)|63rd Regional Readiness Command Headquarters]], [[United States Army Reserve]]
*[[7th Psychological Operations Group|7th Psychological Operations Group Headquarters]], [[United States Army Reserve]]
*[[341st Military Police Company (Combat Support), U.S. Army Reserve]]
*[[United States Army Military Police Corps|341st MP CO, U.S. Army Reserve]]
*351st Civil Affairs Command, U.S. Army Reserve
*[[Marine Corps Recruiting Station San Francisco]], [[Marine Corps Recruiting Command]]

==Accidents and incidents at or near NUQ==
*On February 1, 1953, a [[Republic F-84 Thunderjet]] burst into flames on [[final approach]]. The plane hit the ground near downtown Mountain View, damaging three homes and six cars. The pilot was killed and one person on the ground sustained minor injuries.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/994015435/ | newspaper = Palo Alto Times| title = Jet destroys M.V. home|page =1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Accident Republic F-84G Thunderjet 52-3317 |url=https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/152973 |access-date=2024-05-05 |website=aviation-safety.net}}</ref>
*On April 11, 1968, a [[Royal Australian Air Force]] [[Lockheed P-3C Orion]] burst into flames when the undercarriage collapsed on landing during pre-delivery acceptance trials. There were no fatalities.<ref>{{ASN accident| id=19680411-2|accessdate=May 18, 2021|title=A9-296}}</ref>
*On May 26, 1972, a [[United States Navy]] Lockheed P-3C Orion went missing during a routine training flight off the coast of [[California]]. All eight crew were presumed dead.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19720526-1| accessdate=May 18, 2021| title=152155}}</ref>
*On April 12, 1973, a [[NASA]] [[Convair CV-990 Coronado]], testing survey equipment over [[Monterey Bay]], and a US Navy Lockheed P-3C Orion, practicing [[touch-and-go landing]]s, collided on final approach. Both aircraft crashed onto Sunnyvale Municipal Golf Course, half a mile short of the runway. All 11 occupants on the Convair 990 Coronado and five of the six crew on board the Lockheed P-3C were killed in the accident. A total of 16 perished on both aircraft with one survivor. Bruce Mallibert.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19730412-0| accessdate=May 18, 2021|title=N711NA}}</ref><ref>{{ASN accident| id=19730412-1|accessdate=May 18, 2021| title=157332}}</ref>
*On March 21, 1991, two P-3C Orion aircraft from the NAS Moffett Field based [[VP-50]] Blue Dragons had a mid-air collision while on a training mission off the coast of southern California in preparation for deployment to NAS Adak Alaska. All 23 crew members on board the 2 aircraft were killed in the accident. The Chief of Naval Operations was present for the memorial service held at NAS Moffett Field for those crew members.

==See also==
{{Portal|San Francisco Bay Area}}
*
*[[Navy Air Stations Blimps bases]]
*[[Bayshore-NASA (VTA)]] light rail station
*[[California during World War II]]
*[[California World War II Army Airfields]]
*[[List of military squadrons and aircraft based at Moffett Field]]
*[[Watsonville Airport]] Moffett Field, auxiliary field in World War II

== References ==
;Notes
{{Reflist|2}}
;Bibliography
* {{cite book|title=Building the Navy's Bases in World War II; History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps, 1940-1946|year=1947|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|location=Washington, D.C.|oclc=568748097|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/Building_Bases/index.html|author-link=Bureau of Yards and Docks|author=Bureau of Yards and Docks, US Navy|access-date=29 December 2011}} (Public domain)

{{NPS}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Moffett Field}}
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/moffett.htm Moffett Field] page at ''GlobalSecurity.org''
* [http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/home/ NASA Ames Research Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050320232219/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/home/ |date=March 20, 2005 }}
* [https://www.129rqw.ang.af.mil 129th Rescue Wing]
* [http://www.moffettfieldmuseum.org/ Moffett Field Historical Society Museum]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140713125639/https://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/aviation/ Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary]
* {{FAA-diagram|00410}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110927112356/http://barreltap.com/2011/08/moffett-field-wine-tasting-market/ Moffett Field Wine Festival]
* [https://sites.google.com/a/pv-nuq.com/nuq Welcome to Moffett Federal Airfield!]

{{US-airport-ga|NUQ}}

{{Mountain View, California}}
{{CAMilitary|state=autocollapse}}
{{Airports in the San Francisco Bay Area}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:NASA facilities]]
[[Category:Historic districts in California]]
[[Category:History of Silicon Valley]]
[[Category:Ames Research Center|*]]
[[Category:Moffett Field]]
[[Category:Transportation in Sunnyvale, California]]
[[Category:Military facilities on the National Register of Historic Places in California]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Santa Clara County, California]]
[[Category:Airports in Santa Clara County, California]]
[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in California]]
[[Category:Installations of the United States Air National Guard]]
[[Category:Military Superfund sites]]
[[Category:Superfund sites in California]]
[[Category:Military facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Airports established in 1933]]
[[Category:1933 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Military airbases established in 1994]]