Editing Moffett Federal Airfield (section)

== Hangar One ==
{{Main|Hangar One (Mountain View, California)}}
[[Image:Hangar One at Moffett Field 1963.jpg|thumb|View of Hangar One, the huge dirigible hangar, with doors open at both ends]]

Moffett Field's "[[Hangar One (Mountain View, California)|Hangar One]]" (built during the [[Great Depression|Depression]] era for the [[USS Macon (ZRS-5)|USS ''Macon'']]) and the row of [[World War II]] [[blimp]] [[hangar]]s are still some of the largest unsupported structures in the country. The [[airship hangar]] is constructed on a network of steel [[girder]]s sheathed with [[galvanized steel]]. It rests firmly upon a reinforced pad anchored to concrete [[piling]]s. The floor covers {{convert|8|acre|m2|spell=in}}) and can accommodate six (360 feet x 160 feet) [[American football|football]] fields. The airship hangar itself, measures {{convert|1,133|ft|m}} long and {{convert|308|ft|m}} wide. The building has aerodynamic architecture. Its walls curve upward and inward, to form an elongated dome {{convert|198|ft|m}} high. The clam-shell doors were designed to reduce turbulence when the ''Macon'' moved in and out on windy days. The "orange peel" doors, weighing 500 [[ton]]s (511.88 [[tonne]]s) each, are moved by their own 150 [[horsepower]] motors operated via an electrical control panel.

The airship hangar's interior is so large that [[fog]] sometimes forms near the ceiling.<ref name="nps"/> A person unaccustomed to its vastness is susceptible to optical disorientation. Looking across its deck, planes and tractors look like toys. Along its length maintenance shops, inspection laboratories and offices help keep the hangar busy. Looking up, a network of catwalks for access to all parts of the structure can be seen. Two elevators meet near the top, allowing maintenance personnel to get to the top quickly and easily.

[[narrow gauge railways|Narrow gauge]] tracks run through the length of the hangar. During the period of lighter-than-air dirigibles and non-rigid aircraft, the rails extended across the apron and into the fields at each end of the hangar. This tramway facilitated the transportation of an [[airship]] on the mooring mast to the airship hangar interior or to the flight position. During the brief period that the ''Macon'' was based at Moffett, Hangar One accommodated not only the giant airship but several smaller, non-rigid blimps simultaneously.

In 2003, plans to convert Hangar One to a space and science center were put on hold with the discovery that the structure was leaking toxic chemicals into the sediment in wetlands bordering San Francisco Bay. The chemicals originated in the lead paint and toxic materials, including [[polychlorinated biphenyl]]s (PCBs), used to coat the hangar. Options under debate included tearing down the hangar and reusing the land, and cleaning the toxic waste from the site and refurbishing the hangar for future preservation.

The US Navy evaluated options for remediating the PCBs, lead and asbestos, and NASA evaluated options for reuse of the hangar. Some historic and nonprofit groups wanted the hangar preserved as a historic landmark, as the hangar is a major Bay Area landmark and historic site.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.savehangarone.org/|title=Save Hangar One Committee home page|publisher=Savehangarone.org|access-date=16 December 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815085704/http://www.savehangarone.org/|archive-date=15 August 2012}}</ref>

In 2006, an offer to clean the hangar and coat its outsides with solar panels to recoup the costs of cleaning was floated by a private company, but the plan never saw fruition because it was too costly.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=0e31f772-779b-4519-ab3f-51117bd77876|title=NASA: New Use For Old Moffett Field Dirigible Hangar? }}</ref>

In August 2008, the Navy proposed simply stripping the toxic coating from the hangar and leaving the skeleton after spraying it with a preservative.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mv-voice.com/story.php?story_id=4343|title=Navy has an obligation to restore Hangar One|date=August 8, 2008|newspaper=Mountain View Voice|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927165528/http://www.mv-voice.com/story.php?story_id=4343|archive-date=September 27, 2011}}</ref> The Navy claimed that to reclad the structure would cost another $15 million and that this was NASA's responsibility. This was regarded as a partial victory by campaigners.{{citation needed|date=December 2010}}

In September 2008, NASA indicated that it was still urging the Navy to restore the hangar, but that it was willing to help save the structure; in particular, NASA was in favor of re-covering the structure at the same time that it was stripped.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mv-voice.com/news/show_story.php?id=828|title=NASA ready to help save Hangar One |date=September 5, 2008|newspaper=Mountain View Voice}}</ref>

[[File:Moffett Federal Airfield Hangar 1 skeleton.jpg|thumb|View of the hangar's skeleton during restoration in September 2012]] In April 2011, the exterior panels began coming down, starting at the top.

===Restoration===
On April 21, 2011, crews began stripping the [[Polychlorinated biphenyl|PCB]]-laced exterior panels of Hangar One.<ref>[http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_17841313 Hangar One's walls set to come down starting next week], ''[[San Jose Mercury News]]''</ref><ref>[http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_17903764?nclick_check=1 Dismantling of a Silicon Valley landmark: Hangar One demolition begins] ''[[San Jose Mercury News]]''</ref>

In November 2014, Planetary Ventures LLC, a [[Google]] subsidiary, signed a $1.16 billion, 60-year lease.<ref>{{cite web|title=Google Leases NASA's Moffett Field, Historic Hangar for $1.2 Billion|url=http://www.space.com/27741-google-leases-nasa-moffett-field.html|publisher=space.com|author=Mike Wall|date=11 November 2014|access-date=12 November 2014}}</ref> 
This would "save NASA approximately $6.3 million annually in maintenance and operation costs".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mv-voice.com/news/2014/11/11/google-backing-earth-air--space-collaboratory-at-moffett|title=Google backing Earth, Air & Space Collaboratory at Moffett|date=11 November 2014|work=Mountainview Voice|author1=Andrea Gemmet|access-date=20 November 2014}}</ref> Google planned to invest an additional $200 million to renovate and restore the structure.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/11/google-nasa-airbase-hangers-robots-planes-space-exploration|title=Google leases Nasa airbase for robots, planes and space exploration|last=Gibbs|first=Samuel|date=2014-11-11|newspaper=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|access-date=2016-09-24}}</ref>