NASA-Ames Exploration Center

NASA's Ames Research Center is located at Moffett Field, in California’s Silicon Valley. The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics selected Ames to be its second aeronautical research laboratory on Dec. 20, 1939. Ames became part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) when that agency was formed in 1958. Ames is one of ten NASA field centers. It is located at the core of the research cluster of high-tech companies, start-ups, world-class universities and national laboratories that define the San Francisco/San Jose Bay Area region's character. With over $3.0 billion in capital equipment, 2,500 researchers, scientists and technology developers, and a $750-850 million annual operating budget, Ames' economic impact is significant, both regionally and nationally. Ames plays a critical role in virtually all NASA aeronautical and space exploration endeavors, conducting the research and developing the technologies that enable NASA missions, fuel American markets for goods and services and enhance the quality of life on Earth.