Rosemount Aeronautical Laboratories (Rosemount, Minnesota)

 lab, scientific research institute / centre

Former site of laboratories
From 1946 to 1962, the University of Minnesota operated an active program of aeronautical engineering research at Rosemount, focusing on the development of supersonic and hypersonic aircraft. It was this program that provided the initial impetus for the University's acquisition of the Gopher plant. Essential to this operation was a set of surplus GOW facilities that provided the aeronautical engineering department with the specialized equipment it needed to build and operate a series of wind tunnels capable of generating speeds of up to eleven times the speed of sound.
Of paramount importance to the operation of the laboratory was Gopher Ordnance Works Building 302-A, the ammonia oxidation building. This structure contained five electrically driven compressors and four gas driven compressors that provided the high volume air flow necessary to power the wind tunnels. Although the Aeronautical Laboratory utilized a number of other buildings and structures at the site for purposes including office and cafeteria space, compressed gas storage, machine shop areas, and secure storage facilities for aircraft components, building 302-A was the centerpiece of the operation. The structure was destroyed by fire in December 1976, and was replaced in 1984 by a large pole-type structure in the same location.