The South Dakota Air and Space Museum is an aviation museum located in Box Elder, South Dakota, just outside the main gate of Ellsworth AFB. It is dedicated to the history of the United States Air Force, the base and aerospace in South Dakota.
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  Ellsworth AFB Location within South Dakota | |
| Established | 1983 |
|---|---|
| Location | Adjacent to Ellsworth Air Force Base, Box Elder, South Dakota, United States |
| Coordinates | 44°08′0.82″N 103°04′23.31″W / 44.1335611°N 103.0731417°W / 44.1335611; -103.0731417 |
| Type | Aviation museum |
| Collection size | 25+ aircraft |
| Founder | Gerald E. Teachout |
| Website | South Dakota Air & Space Museum |
The Ellsworth Heritage Foundation was founded as a result of a United States Air Force program began in 1982 to establish museums at various bases around the country.[1] The museum was co-founded by Gerald E. Teachout in 1983.[2] Fundraising for a new building began in 1985, but the museum was given four former F-89 hangars and a two-story building that had been planned for demolition.[1] The hangars and building were moved to the museum's current location near the base's main gate in 1992.[3][4]
The museum received a mockup of a Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit from the American Honda Motor Company in 1989.[5][a] The following year, it restored a Boeing B-29 Superfortress and received a Boeing B-47 Stratojet from Pease Air Force Base.[7]
AConvair B-36 on display in Texas was originally planned to be added to the museum in 1992, but it was eventually transferred to another museum.[8][9] In 1994, a Minuteman II missile silo trainer located on Ellsworth Air Force Base was added to the museum inventory.[10][b]
The museum received a grant in 1998 to renovate its displays.[12] In 2001, a new entrance with a Rockwell B-1 Lancer was dedicated.[13] Following a restoration, an AGM-28 Hound Dog missile was unveiled in 2011.[14] A two-year landscaping project was completed in 2016.[15] In 2017 the museum dedicated a Titan I missile on display in the outdoor airpark.[16] In 2019, the museum partnered with the Commemorative Air Force to fly a B-25 across the state to recognize the two South Dakotans who participated in the Doolittle Raid.[17] A model of an AGM-158 missile was placed on display in 2022.[18]
The museum has four interior galleries named for Frank Hunter, Duke Corning, Clyde Ice, and Joe Foss.[19][failed verification] Displays cover the history of aerospace technology, the World Wars, the Cold War, aviation pioneers, and Ellsworth Air Force Base.[citation needed] A number of training aids, such as F-106 and B-1B cockpits, an F-16 simulator, and a Minuteman Crew Mission Procedures Trainer are on display.[citation needed] Other exhibits include Stratobowl Balloon Launches in the 1930s,[20] 44th Bombardment Group/44th Strategic Missile Wing[citation needed], and the South Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame.[21] Since Covid the interior exhibits are closed. The official website is down as well
