Variable Density Tunnel
United States historic place in Hampton (Independent City), Virginia. Built 1921 by Michael Max Munk. Added to the National Register in 1985, and a National Historic Landmark.
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What it is
The Variable Density Tunnel (VDT) was the second wind tunnel at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Langley Research Center. Proposed by German aerospace engineer, Max Munk, student of Ludwig Prandtl, it was the world's first variable density wind tunnel and allowed for more accurate testing of small-scale models than could be obtained with atmospheric wind tunnels.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Property type | Structure |
| Address | Langley Research Center, Hampton (Independent City), VA |
| Independent city | City of Hampton |
| Listed | Oct 3, 1985 |
| Listed for | Engineering, Science |
| Level of significance | National |
| Reference number | 85002795 |
| Built | 1921 · more from the 1920s |
| Architect | Michael Max Munk |
| Type of place | wind tunnel |
| Designations | National Historic Landmark, Virginia 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 | Langley Research Center, Hampton (Independent City), VA |
| Coordinates | 37.0788° N, 76.3438° W · Directions ↗ |
| Also in Hampton (Independent City) | 24 listed places in Hampton (Independent City) → |
| Nearest national park unit | Fort Monroe National Monument · 5 miles · on Park Atlas |
Explore
Map
Nearby in City of Hampton
Public land around it
| Plum Tree Island National Wildlife Refuge ↗National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | About 3 miles away3,056 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.
Guidebooks to historic places in Virginia
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Reference
Questions people ask
When was Variable Density Tunnel 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 Variable Density Tunnel built?
1921, designed by Michael Max Munk.
Source: Wikidata
Where is Variable Density Tunnel?
Langley Research Center, Hampton (Independent City), City of Hampton, Virginia. The nearest national park unit is Fort Monroe National Monument, 5 miles away.
Source: Fort Monroe National Monument
Where is the nomination form for Variable Density Tunnel?
The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.
Source: National Archives
Is there cell service at Variable Density Tunnel?
FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G 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 85002795. 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.