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NASA Ames Director Pete Worden, Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga and Ames historian Jack Boyd all spoke during a ceremony Monday evening in celebration of NASA Ames' 70th anniversary.

The ceremony, hosted by Meyer Appliance on Castro Street, kicked off an extended exhibit that will be available for viewing through the end of the year. Businesses along Castro, California and Villa streets will all have NASA Ames history exhibits on display, including historical photos of Moffett Field, a six-foot centrifuge, a three-dimensional panorama of Mars and information about how humans can live and work in space.

NASA Ames' origins date back to Dec. 20, 1939 with the establishment at Moffett Field of a site for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. The site was picked by a committee led by Charles Lindbergh, who flew to Moffett Field to see the site for himself while it was still a Navy base.

NACA became NASA in 1958, but aeronautics continues to be a major focus at Ames, which employs 2,400 people. Several key concepts in aerodynamics, including the swept wing, have been developed in what Ames calls the world's greatest collection of wind tunnels — including the world's largest wind tunnel, which measures 80 by 120 feet.

According to Boyd, who himself began working at Ames in 1947, "We've tested every military aircraft that's ever flown," and every spacecraft too.

Exhibit locations include Meyer Appliance is located at 278 Castro Street, Custom Fitness at 650 Castro Street, Fenwick & West at 801 California Street, Mountain View City Hall at 500 Castro Street, Global Beads Inc. at 345 Castro Street, Book Buyers at 317 Castro Street, Tap Plastics Inc. at 312 Castro Street, Red Rock Cafe at 201 Castro Street, Boutique 4 at 279 Castro Street, Maston Architect at 384 Castro Street, Tied House at 954 Villa Street, and the Jehning Lock Museum of Mountain View at 175 Castro Street.