it's a boeing nb-52a. this is the first series of the stratofortress strategic nuclear bomber. >> this plane was built in 1954. at that time, america was on constant alert in case of nuclear attack by the soviet union. if that had happened, the b-52 would have been sent to bomb the soviets. fortunately, there was never a world war iii. so, instead, this stratofortress played an important role in the early days of america's space program. it would carry a rocket plane up to the edge of earth's atmosphere and then release it. this was one of the ways pilots practiced to become astronauts. >> you know, neil armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, did mission drops off of this airplane, so it's a really -- >> this specific airplane? >> this specific airplane. it's really, really fantastic piece of history right here. >> when "teen kids news" returns, we'll tell you why the u.s. air force went from dropping bombs to dropping (vo) if you live in new york medicare, empire blue cross blue shield can help you