Flight research has been an integral and essential part of the missions of, first, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and, later, its successor, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The imperative of flight research was recognized from the outset in the NACA's charter: " To supervise and direct the scientific study of the problems of flight with a view to their practical solution..." The NACA's Ames Aeronautical Laboratory was established at Moffett Field, California, in 1939. Moffett Field was chosen at the site of the new laboratory for several reasons, including its predominantly good flying weather, moderate temperatures, and low air traffic density.