Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
 

Vandenberg Air Force Base

AIAA Historic Aerospace Site

 
 
Vandenberg Air Force Base Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Joe Page, February 27, 2015
1. Vandenberg Air Force Base Marker
Inscription.
Bearing witness to the birth of the Space Age, Vandenberg Air Force Base has been the launch site of many of America's missiles and rockets, from military missions to voyages of exploration. Here launched the first polar orbiting satellite Discoverer I in 1959. The Discoverer series of satellites were the public name of the now declassified Corona Program, America's first photo reconnaissance satellite. This site has also been home to the training of the crews and test flights of many of America's Intermediate-Range and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile systems. From 1957 to the present day, Vandenberg has been an integral part of America's space and defense programs.
 
Erected 2008 by American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & SpaceWar, Cold. In addition, it is included in the AIAA Historic Aerospace Sites series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1959.
 
Location. 34° 44.61′ N, 120° 31.896′ W. Marker is in Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, in Santa Barbara County. Marker is at the intersection of California Boulevard and Oregon Avenue, on the right when traveling south on California Boulevard. Located inside the secure base.
Paid Advertisement
Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.
Click or scan to see
this page online
Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lompoc CA 93437, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. USAF Medal of Honor Recipients (within shouting distance of this marker); The Curtis P-40 (approx. half a mile away); Camp Cooke Memorial (approx. half a mile away); 40th Infantry Division Korean War Memorial (approx. half a mile away); Space Launch Complex 10 (approx. 5.4 miles away); Ronald W. Reagan Missile Defense Site (approx. 5˝ miles away); La Purisima Mission (approx. 5.9 miles away); First Successful Cement Job (approx. 7.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Vandenberg Space Force Base.
 
Regarding Vandenberg Air Force Base. This marker recognizes Vandenberg Air Force Base's contributions to the Cold War and the Space Race, specifically calling out the Discoverer/CORONA program, the world's first photoreconnaissance ("spy") satellite system.

The marker is located inside the base, only open to those with base access.

In 1986, Space Launch Complex 10 was added to the National Register of Historic Places and declared a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service as “the best surviving example of a launch complex built in the 1950s at the beginning of the American effort to explore space.”
Marker and Missile image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Joe Page, February 27, 2015
2. Marker and Missile
The missile is in a commemorative park that displays many historic and memorial plaques relating to Vandenberg Air Force Base's history.
The site was restored, and converted into the Space and Missile Heritage Center museum. Their public tours of the base and museum are not offered when the base is busy with frequent launches.

The base is now called Vandenberg Space Force Base.
 
Vandenberg Space Force Base image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Baker
3. Vandenberg Space Force Base
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 19, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 28, 2015, by Joe Page of Albuquerque, New Mexico. This page has been viewed 464 times since then and 16 times this year. Last updated on October 5, 2019, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on February 28, 2015, by Joe Page of Albuquerque, New Mexico.   3. submitted on November 27, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.

Share this page.  
Share on Tumblr
m=140556

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisements
Mar. 28, 2024