America 250: The Air & Space Power Story

This week, we visit Montana!

This week we visit South Dakota! The Mount Rushmore State is home to tremendous air and space power leaders, including Secretary of the Air Force Dr. Troy Meink and Medal of Honor Recipient Joe Foss, who netted 26 aerial victories in the Pacific theater during World War II. The state is also home to Ellsworth Air Force Base, key industry players that support the Artemis program, as well as NASA As...

This week we visit North Dakota! During the Cold War, the Roughrider State was a key element facet of America's deterrence architecture thanks to Strategic Air Command and Air Defense Command units at Grand Forks and Minot. Both bases are very active today, along with the 119th Wing of the North Dakota Air National Guard in Fargo. When it comes to space, North Dakota is home to 2 NASA astronauts,...

This week, we visit Colorado!

This week we visit Nebraska!

This week we visit Nevada! Between 1965 to 1972 every Apollo astronaut that walked on the moon trained at the Nevada Space Proving Grounds within the Nevada National Security Site. Also located in The Silver State is Nellis Air Force Base, the home of the Air Force and Space Force's Weapons School, the Red Flag Exercises, and the famed Thunderbirds.

This week, we visit West Virginia! Learn about the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory which serves as an important center of production for solid rocket motors for ammunition, rockets, and armaments. We also discuss West Virginia State University’s role as the first historically Black college to run a Civilian Pilot Training Program, and the incredibly important work done by Katherine Johnson in suppo...

This week we visit Kansas! Some of the biggest names in aviation have roots in the Sunflower State, including Clyde Cessna, Walter and Olive Ann Beech, Al Mooney, Clyde Stearman, and Bill Lear. During World War II, Wichita was a key site for Boeing’s production of the PT-17 Stearman and the famed B-29 and these plants still produce aircraft today. On the space side, 4 astronauts come from Kansas,...

This week we visit Oregon! The Beaver State has often served as a training ground for astronauts in places like Lave Butte, Big Obsidian Lava Flow, Skylight Cave, Crater lake, and Painted Hills. When it comes to aviation, the state was home to famed pilot Tex Rankin, who operated one of the biggest flight schools in the nation, set multiple aerial records, and played a key role in producing milita...

This week we visit Minnesota! Five astronauts come from the North Star State, as did Robert Gilruth—the first Director of NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center, and was a pivotal figure in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. On the air side, famed aviator Charles Lindbergh was raised in Minnesota. He was a generational aviation force, whose impact extends well beyond his famed transatlantic flight...

This week we visit California! From the dawn of aviation to the present day, the Golden State has played an important role when it comes to training pilots, building aircraft, executing record-setting flights, innovating new technologies, and advancing flight test. On the space side, the state is a similar innovation, production, test, and launch juggernaut. On top of this, 29 astronauts are from...

This week we visit Wisconsin! The Badger State was the home of airpower pioneer Brig Gen Billy Mitchell, top WWII U.S. ace Richard Bong, plus famed astronauts Jim Lovell and Deke Slayton. The state is also the location of EAA's massive Airventure airshow in Oshkosh.

This week we visit Iowa! Even though it is landlocked, the Hawkeye State played a big role in naval aviation history. It was the home of Eugene Ely, an early naval aviation pioneer who was the first pilot to takeoff and land from the deck of a ship. Iowa was also the home of Naval Air Station Ottumwa, which graduated 4,626 Navy pilots during World War II. On the space side, seven astronauts come f...

This week we visit Texas! The Lone Star State has played a huge role in advancing American airpower and spacepower. It is a long-standing center for airmen training, going all the way back to World War I, and Texans have built numerous Air Force aircraft--including the B-24, P-51, B-36, F-111, F-16, CV-22, and F-35. On the space side, Houston is the home of Johnson Space Center, which is the home...

This week we visit Florida! Famous for being the home of Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida’s Space Coast was the launch site of numerous missions, including the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs. NASA’s Artemis missions and the Space Force continue to use Florida’s launch facilities. On the air side, Pan Am launched operations in Key West during 1927 and would...

This week we visit Michigan! The Great Lakes State—famous for being a center of automobile manufacturing—was also an important hub of aircraft production during World War II. The Ford Motor Company built B-24 Liberators at their Willow Run plant, producing a bomber every hour at its peak in 1944. On the space side, the Michigan Ordnance Missile Plant was a production site for Redstone rockets. The...

This week we visit Arkansas! The “Natural State” was the home of Louise Thaden, a pioneering female aviator who set multiple flying records, including the women’s altitude record in 1928, plus records for speed and endurance in 1929. Those flying into Bentonville, AR will take off and land at Thaden Field. On the space side, Arkansas suppliers provide important components for NASA’s Artemis progra...

This week we visit Missouri! The "Show Me State" is a long-standing center of air and space power industrial production. The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation—founded in St Louis during 1939—built the Mercury and Gemini capsules for NASA, as well as iconic aircraft like the F-4 Phantom and F-15 Eagle. This production facility is alive and well as part of Boeing.

This week we visit Maine! Learn about astronauts Charles Hobaugh and Dr. Jessica Meir and the "Vacationland's" contributions to the Artemis program. On the air side, we delve into the state's role in helping form the Civil Air Patrol on the eve of World War II, plus the group's role helping secure the eastern coastline during the conflict.   To learn more, please visit these websites: Civil Air Pa...

This week we visit Alabama! Learn about the incredible contributions of the Tuskegee Airmen, who fought a dual war against both discrimination and Axis forces during World War II. Alabama is also home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, which provides vital propulsion systems and hardware for NASA’s space programs.   To learn more, please visit these websites: New Home for U.S. S...

This week we visit Illinois! Learn how the USS Wolverine and USS Sable— originally Great Lakes luxury cruise liners that were converted into aircraft carriers—helped train thousands of naval aviators during World War II. On the space side, the Prairie State is the home of 15 astronauts and the Henry Crown Space Center at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, where visitors can see the Apollo...

This week we are visiting Mississippi! 3 astronauts call the Magnolia State home, which also hosts the Stennis Space Center and NASA’s Rocket Propulsion Test Program Office. On the air side, Mississippi was the site of the incredible 27-day-long endurance flight conducted by the Key Brothers in 1935 and was a pioneering area of operations for Huff Daland Dusters—a crop dusting company that would g...

From wartime production lines to the launchpad of space exploration, Indiana’s impact on American air and space power is undeniable. In this episode of America 250: The Air and Space Power Story, we explore how the Hoosier State helped shape America’s defense and aerospace legacy. From Evansville’s massive World War II P-47 Thunderbolt production effort to the groundbreaking achievements of Indian...

This week we visit Louisiana! This state is home to the Michoud Assembly Facility, which has built some of our most important spacecraft components: everything from sections of the Apollo Saturn V rocket to the Space Shuttle's main liquid fuel tank and key elements of for the Artemis program. On the airpower side of things, we learn about the crucial role air racing played in advancing aviation in...

This week we visit the Buckeye State! Ohio is the home of the Wright Brothers and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. So, whether talking about building the Wright Military Flyer, or overseeing programs for modern types like F-47 and CCA--all paths tie back to this state. On the space side of the equation, a long line of astronauts called Ohio home, including John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, and Judith Re...