Sunnyvale highlight
Close to Moffett Field
Moffett Federal Airfield, home to NASA Ames Research Center, is located within Sunnyvale and serves as a major research hub for aerospace and computational science.
Moffett Federal Airfield sits within Sunnyvale, a legacy of military aviation that transformed into one of NASA's primary research centers. NASA Ames Research Center, based at Moffett Field, conducts research in aeronautics, space technology, and computational science. The facility is visible from many parts of Sunnyvale, with its distinctive enormous hangars dominating the skyline. These hangars, built during World War II for aircraft development and maintenance, remain among the largest freestanding structures in the world, each large enough to contain multiple commercial airliners.
NASA Ames operates as a major employer and research institution, with hundreds of civil service employees and contractors working on projects ranging from climate modeling to advanced aerospace concepts. The research conducted at Ames contributes to national space exploration, aviation safety, and computational research relevant to fields far beyond aviation. The presence of Ames has influenced Sunnyvale's identity and economy since the center's establishment in the 1930s, providing technical employment, attracting skilled workers to the region, and shaping the city's infrastructure and planning.
For Sunnyvale residents, the proximity to Ames and the broader aerospace and research ecosystem has made technical skills and scientific literacy part of the community's character. Families in the area often have ties to research, engineering, or technical fields. The long-term commitment many households make to the Sunnyvale area—living near work, building community ties—is reflected in their insurance planning. A term life policy that matches household obligations during the years those obligations are heaviest makes practical sense for families building a life in Sunnyvale.