Peterson Air Force Base

Hammond giving speech at Peterson AFB

Summary

Peterson Air Force Base is in Colorado Springs, Colorado and is the closest Air Force airfield to Cheyenne Mountain and Stargate Command.

Peterson Air Force Base

Peterson Air Force Base has been in existence in Colorado since 1942. It was named after First Lieutenant Edward J. Peterson, whose aircraft crashed early in the operation of the base. The United States Air Force Space Command (USAFSC) is headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base.

Stargate References

Peterson Air Force Base is a USAF base in Colorado. Most times when individuals from Stargate Command (SGC) need to fly to other locations (using conventional aircraft), they depart from Peterson. It was specifically mentioned by name when O'Neill needed to fly to Honduras to rescue the kidnapped Daniel Jackson and Bill Lee (7.12 "Evolution Part 2"), and when Landry needed to fly to Nellis/Area 51 to visit the prisoner Goa'uld Nerus (9.16 "Off the Grid"). It is reasonable to assume that any and all military flights by the staff of Stargate Command to Washington or other locations leave from Peterson AFB.

Peterson has a holding facility of its own for less "classified" prisoners than Nerus. When Colonel O'Neill was falsely accused of assasinating Senator Kinsey, he was held as a prisoner at Peterson before a scheduled transfer to Washington, D.C. (6.14 "Smoke and Mirrors").

When the Stargate was about to be destroyed in an attack by Anubis, the ring was lifted out of the missile silo and transported to Peterson AFB, where it was loaded onto a C-17 aircraft and flown to Nellis AFB (Area 51) (6.02 "Redemption Part 2"). In determining the time factors involved, General Hammond stated that it would take four hours for the Stargate to be transported and successfully loaded onto the C-17.

Peterson has also been the location of some secretive test flights. The original and successful test flight of the X-301 apparently took place at Peterson Air Force Base (4.12 "Tangent"). It is likely some of the F-302s in the USAF arsenal are stationed at Peterson.

After his retirement, General George Hammond visited Peterson AFB and gave a speech to various personnel in a hangar (9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1"). One of the attendees, Lt. Fisher, was an unwitting carrier of a plague from his last mission to an Ori controlled planet. It was only after he had left the SGC that the plague was noticed. The SGC alerted Peterson immediately of the danger. At least two other people who attended the event came down with the fatal disease before quarantine measures halted exposure. Hammond, fortunately, did not become symptomatic.

When an al'kesh entered Earth's atmosphere on a course for Cheyenne Mountain, two F-16s were rerouted from Peterson AFB to intercept the vessel (10.04 "Insiders"). When the al'kesh did not respond to hails, it was shot down by missiles fired from the F-16 after getting clearance from General Landry.

Gallery

X-301 flying over Peterson airstrip

Jonas and Teal'c visit O'Neill at Peterson prison

Al'kesh shot down by F-16s from Peterson

Episodes

• 4.12 "Tangent"
• 6.02 "Redemption Part 2"
• 6.14 "Smoke And Mirrors"
• 7.12 "Evolution Part 2"
• 9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1"
• 9.16 "Off The Grid"
• 10.04 "Insiders"

Related Characters

• Col. Jack O'Neill
• Dr. Daniel Jackson
• Gen. George Hammond
• Gen. Hank Landry
• Anubis
• Lt. Fisher
• Sen. Robert Kinsey
• Dr. Bill Lee
• Nerus

Related Articles

• Al'kesh
• Area 51
• F-16
• Goa'uld
• Prior Plague
• Priors of the Ori
• F-302
• X-301

Further Reading

• Peterson Air Force Base Official Site
• Global Security history of Peterson AFB

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--Aurora 09:37, 17 May 2006 (PDT)