On 27 January 1950 the Air Force held a special dedication ceremony at Muroc, renaming the desert facility Edwards Air Force Base, in honor of test pilot Glen Edwards, who had died in a test flight from the site in 1948. The ceremony symbolized the increasing emphasis that the Air Force was placing upon flight testing, an emphasis that led to the designation of Edwards in 1951 as the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) with responsibility for testing aircraft, operating other test faculties, and providing support and services for contractors and other government agencies, such as NACA.

The 1950s, old-timers recall, were the "Golden  Years" of Edwards, a period of unparalleled expansion, a time when new speed and altitude records were set almost monthly, and the boom of igniting rocket engines punctuated conversations, giving the center its own distinct and exciting character. The Korean War stimulated expansion at Edwards. Air Force expenditures for the base leapt from $3.5 million in FY 1950 to $28.7 million in FY 1955, and to $82.3 million in FY 1960; personnel grew from 3938 to 8278 in the same period. The base expanded from 795 square kilometers in 1952 to over 1214 square kilometers by mid-1955, making it the largest flight test center in the world.