The Ames Aeronautical Laboratory was established in 1939 by Congress as the west coast site of the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA) following its original site at Langley Field, Virginia. Advocated by Charles Lindberg, the Moffett Field site was chosen for its good flying weather and proximity to local universities. The founding mission was to improve U.S. aircraft performance and speed in response to advances in Germany’s air capability.

In 1958 Congress created NASA with the National Aeronautics and Space Act. Ames Aeronautical Laboratory became a NASA field center. NASA Ames Research Center, one of the most active R & D centers in the U.S., now occupies 500 acres adjacent to the Naval Air Station Moffett Field. NASA Ames staff of 1500 civil servants and hundreds of R & D contracted scientists perform basic and applied research in ten major areas: Intelligent Systems; High Performance Computing; Astrobiology; Nantotechnology; Aviation Operation Systems; Human Factors; Runway Independent Aircraft; Applied Aerospace Information Technology; and Space Transportation. Technology/Thermal Protection Systems; Life and Biological Sciences.