About Us
The Empire State Aerosciences Museum (ESAM) was established in 1984 as a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, chartered by the NY State Department of Education. The museum occupies 9 buildings and 27 acres of land on the western perimeter of the Schenectady County Airport, opposite from the 109th Air National Guard facility. It is an ideal environment to tell the story of aviation.
Mission
“To Educate, Entertain and Excite with experiences in air and space.”
The value of our Aerosciences Museum to the Capital Region is that it:
...Stimulates interest in aviation, particularly of NYS, for residents & visitors of all ages.
...Provides a repository for historical artifacts, documents & aircraft.
...Assists schools with meeting the NYS Regent’s mandate through exposing students to aviation technology and career opportunities.
...Provides space for meetings for aviation advocates and other groups.
Facility
The Empire State Aerosciences Museum reveals the history of flight and New York State’s impact on the development of aviation.
The Museum is located on the Schenectady County Airport, one of the earliest consolidated airports in the country, where Lindbergh landed in 1927. During the 1930’s it was an aircraft manufacturing site and became a military training area and an AAF base during World War II. Aircraft research and development conducted here was so important that the first jet airmail started from this site in 1946. With the establishment of the General Electric Flight Test Facility and the Malta Rocket Test Station toward the end of WWII, it became known as “The Little Peenemunde of the US” because of its rocket and jet research & development. The museum site and buildings are part of this heritage.
