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 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 candy. are you getting this, honey? man: oh, prime time! we are rolling. all right, mama's gonna bring it hom