Spacecraft Magnetic Test Facility
United States historic place in Greenbelt, Maryland. Built 1966. Added to the National Register in 1985, and a National Historic Landmark.
What it is
The Spacecraft Magnetic Test Facility, also known historically as the Attitude Control Test Facility, is an experimental spacecraft test facility at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, United States. It was built in 1966 to allow the evaluation of magnetic movement in crewed and uncrewed spacecraft, and for the precision calibration of magnetometers used in space flight. The building is constructed of non-magnetic materials and contains a magnetic coil system that allows the cancellation of the Earth's magnetic field. This unique building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Property type | Structure |
| Address | Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD |
| County | Prince George's County |
| Listed | Oct 3, 1985 |
| Listed for | Engineering |
| Level of significance | National |
| Also known as | Attitude Control Test Facility |
| Reference number | 85002811 |
| Built | 1966 · more from the 1960s |
| Type of place | building of public administration |
| Designations | National Historic Landmark |
| Contributing resources | 1 structure |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD |
| Coordinates | 39.0068° N, 76.8251° W · Directions ↗ |
| Nearest national park unit | Baltimore-Washington Parkway · 2 miles · on Park Atlas |
| Federal campgrounds nearby | Greenbelt Campground 4 miles · Greenbelt Park Picnic Areas 4 miles · Greenbelt Park Ranger Station 4 miles |
Explore
Map
Nearby in Prince George's County
Public land around it
| Patuxent Research Refuge ↗National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | About 2 miles away12,952 acres |
Wilderness Atlas publishes a centroid and an acreage for each unit, not a boundary line. Distance here is measured to a circle of the same area drawn around that centroid, so treat it as roughly right rather than surveyed.
Local history books for Prince George's County
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
- Prince George's County and the Civil WarNathania A. Branch Miles and Monday M. Miles, 2013Find at Bookshop.org
Guidebooks to historic places in Maryland
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
When was Spacecraft Magnetic Test Facility listed on the National Register?
Oct 3, 1985. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.
Source: National Park Service
When was Spacecraft Magnetic Test Facility built?
1966.
Source: Wikidata
Where is Spacecraft Magnetic Test Facility?
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Prince George's County, Maryland. The nearest national park unit is Baltimore-Washington Parkway, 2 miles away.
Source: Baltimore-Washington Parkway
Where is the nomination form for Spacecraft Magnetic Test Facility?
The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.
Source: National Archives
Are there campgrounds near Spacecraft Magnetic Test Facility?
Three federal campgrounds are within reach. The closest is Greenbelt Campground, 4 miles away. Greenbelt Park Picnic Areas is 4 miles away, and Greenbelt Park Ranger Station is 4 miles away.
Source: Campsite Atlas
Is there cell service at Spacecraft Magnetic Test Facility?
FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 4G LTE, and T-Mobile 4G LTE at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Sources
Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 85002811. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.