Pima Air and Space Museum

Incorporated in the state of Arizona on November 20, 1967, the Arizona Aerospace Foundation is a member-based 501(c) 3 non-profit Foundation that operates the Pima Air and Space Museum, Titan Missile Museum – Education and Research Center, the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame, and the Challenger Learning Center of the Southwest, all on Pima County parklands. The Foundation’s mission is "creating unlimited horizons in aerospace education through the preservation and presentation of the history of flight."

The Pima Air and Space Museum, the largest non-government funded aircraft museum in North America, is located in Tucson, Arizona, on 200 acres of Pima County parkland. It exhibits more than 275 military, civilian, commercial, and experimental aircraft as well as more than 125,000 artifacts. This collection’s size and diversity is second only to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum collection. The museum attracts more than 150,000 local and international visitors annually and houses an aircraft restoration shop, active volunteer program, membership events and hosts student tours free of charge. The museum is the exclusive provider of docent led tours to the world's largest military aircraft storage facility at the Aerospace Maintenance Regeneration Group (AMRG) on the United States Air Force Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. There are currently fifty-five full-time staff, 20 part-time staff, and 250+ volunteers. Last, museum volunteers served over 66,000 hours as docents, tour guides, exhibit and aircraft restoration technicians.

Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994, the Count Ferdinand von Galen Titan Missile Museum - Education and Research Center is housed in what was once 1 of 54 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) complexes built to withstand virtually all but a direct hit from an enemy nuclear warhead. The site is located in Sahuarita, Arizona, where approximately 50,000 visitors a year get a unique glimpse into the chilling reality of the Cold War. Formerly, armed with the largest warhead ever deployed on an ICBM, the Titan II represents a critical aspect of the United State’s national nuclear deterrence policy. This museum also houses an archive of missile and silo complex design documents and historical ephemera related to the Titan II program, an active volunteer corps and hosts student tours free of charge. Tours are provided exclusively by docents who volunteered more than 17,000 hours last year.

The Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame offers museum visitors at the Pima Air and Space Museum a unique opportunity to acquaint themselves with noteworthy Arizona aviators. Established by a joint proclamation of the Governor of Arizona, the Pima County Board of Supervisors and the City of Tucson in 1985, the Hall of Fame is a permanent shrine to Arizonans who have played a role in or made a significant contribution to aviation and aerospace history. Nominees are chosen for having made significant contributions to aircraft design or flight safety. Noteworthy honorees include: former United States Senator Barry Goldwater, astronaut Frank Borman, Doolittle Raider David “Davey” Jones, and the Foundation’s own Trustee and former leader of the United States Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team, retired Colonel Ralph “Hoot” Gibson.

The Challenger Learning Center of the Southwest, also located within the grounds of the Pima Air and Space museum, was founded by the families of the late Challenger crew and created as a living memorial to the 51-L Crew after the 1986 Challenger space shuttle accident. The mission of the Challenger Program is to use students’ natural enthusiasm for space in order to create an innovative learning experience for imaginative young minds, thereby inspiring a new generation of explorers. The program is designed to meet core math and science educational requirements and consists of a two hour simulated space mission, plus suggested curricula for 4-6 weeks of in-class preparatory activities and two weeks of follow-up activities.