Titan Missile Museum

The Titan Missile Museum, also known as Air Force Facility Missile Site 8 or as Titan II ICBM Site 571-7, is a former ICBM missile site located at 1580 West Duval Mine Road, Sahuarita, Arizona in the United States. It is located about Шаблон:Convert south of Tucson on I-19. It is now a museum run by the nonprofit Arizona Aerospace Foundation and includes an inert Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile in the silo, as well as the original launch facilities.

It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1994.

Underground facilities

The underground facilities consist of a three-level Launch Control Center, the eight level silo containing the missile and its related equipment, and the connecting structures of cableways (access tunnels), blast locks, and the access portal and equipment elevator. The complex was built of steel reinforced concrete with walls as much as Шаблон:Convert in some areas, and a number of 3-ton blast doors sealed the various areas from the surface and each other.

The top level of the silo permits viewing the silo missile doors. Level 3 houses a large diesel generator. Level 7 provides access to the lowest part of the launch duct. Visitors on the "Beyond the Blast Doors" tour are allowed to stand directly underneath the missile. Level 8, at Шаблон:Convert underground, houses the propellant pumps.

Titan II missile

The Шаблон:Convert Titan II missile inside the silo has neither warhead nor has it ever been fueled, allowing it to be safely displayed to visitors. In accordance with a US/USSR agreement, the silo doors are permanently blocked from opening more than half way. The dummy reentry vehicle mounted on the missile has a prominent hole cut in it to prove it is inert. All of the support facilities at the site remain intact, complete with all of their original equipment.

The silo became operational in 1963 and was deactivated in 1982 as part of President Reagan's policy (announced in 1981) of decommissioning the Titan II missiles as part of a weapon systems modernization program. All operational Titan II silos throughout the country were demolished, including 18 sites around McConnell AFB in Wichita, Kansas, 17 sites near Little Rock AFB, Arkansas (one additional site previously damaged beyond repair in a mishap/non-nuclear explosion) and 17 other sites by Davis-Monthan AFB and Tucson with the exception of this one. It is now a National Historic Landmark.

Yield and warhead

The Titan II was the largest operational land based nuclear missile ever used by the United States. The missile had one W53 warhead with a yield of 9 Megatons (9,000 kilotons).

The facility's highest state of alert was November 22, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was shot. When news of the shooting broke, the keys used to launch the missile were ordered to be placed on the tables at the launch consoles to prepare for a possible launch. The Pentagon did not yet know whether the Soviet Union had committed an act of war. The keys were not, however, placed in their switches.

At launch, orders from the National Command Authority would have specified one of three pre-programmed targets which, for security reasons, were unknown to the crew. The missile base that is now the Titan Missile Museum (complex 571-7 of the 390th Strategic Missile Wing) was at the time of closure, programmed to strike "Target Two". The missile's computer could hold up to three targets, and the target selected was determined by Strategic Air Command headquarters. To change the selected target, the crew commander pressed the appropriate button on the launch console. Target 2, which is classified to this day but was assumed to be within the borders of the former Soviet Union, was designated as an ground burst, suggesting that the target was a hardened facility such as a Soviet missile base. Targets could be selected for air or ground burst, but the selection was determined by Strategic Air Command.

Tourist Attractions

A visitor center for the site features a gift shop, a small museum and guided tours of the site. The museum is intended to put the Titan II within the context of the Cold War. Paid tours are available for hire, offering education about the history of the Titan II site and program, as well as a closer look at many features of the complex. Relics include hardstands for fuel storage containers and the associated control vehicles, restored engines from a Titan II missile, and a re-entry vehicle.

Tours below ground may include the control room, the cableways (tunnels), the silo, antennna tower and more. More information can be found and reservations may be made via the museum web site. Several times each month a more extensive "top to bottom" tour is available. This tour takes up to 5 hours and accommodates a maximum of six people. Prior reservations required. The top to bottom tour is not handicapped accessible.

Several scenes in the 1996 film Star Trek: First Contact were shot at the site. The missile itself was depicted as the launch vehicle for the film's Phoenix spacecraft, the first warp prototype; at one point, Data notes the profound irony that a WMD was used to bring about the global peace and unity of TrekШаблон:'s future.

Gallery

See also

Шаблон:Portal

  • Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

References

Шаблон:Reflist

External links

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Sham Kulkarni
16 August 2013
Very interesting museum! Our tour guide talked our ear off for over 20 minutes and I learned more about missiles and this facility than I will every be able to remember. Tour guide was ver engaging.
Matt Gallagher
24 January 2014
A great museum chronicling an important part of our history - the Cold War. The Titan Missile museum is a fascinating look at how the peace was kept for 40 years.
Mic Ho
23 November 2016
Really a great historical and technical piece of history. My kids got to open a 6000# door and perform the launch sequence! What a way to bring this experience to life.
Jason Jokerst
18 December 2017
Better than I expected! Tour guide was very informative. Seeing the missile is breathtaking. It’s very massive. The Cold War history is so interesting.
The Ritz-Carlton
14 September 2016
The Titan Missile Museum in Green Valley really gives a feel for what the Cold War once was. Definitely go on the narrated tour for a haunting but memorable look at the not-so-distant past.
Jon B.
8 April 2023
A must visit when in Green Valley. Anyone who loved the film War Games will love this museum tour.
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1580 W Duval Mine Rd, Green Valley, AZ 85614, USA Get directions
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