Studio39Designs

 

 

Titan Missile Museum

Back in the 1950’s and 1960’s, when the possibility of nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union was real, a number of missile complexes were built and maintained across the US.  At the peak, there were 54 such complexes.  The missiles were capable of launching in under a minute (58 seconds) and could deliver a 9 megaton thermonuclear warhead to a target more than 6300 miles away in less than 30 minutes.  They were active for more than two decades, but now, 53 of them are now closed.  The only one that remains open (as a museum) is near Tucson, AZ – the Titan Missile Museum.

Looking Up the Shaft

We took a tour of the complex and saw a lot of the old technology that was considered high-tech back then.  We got an up-close view of an actual missile (minus the warhead!).

US Missile

What’s interesting about this missile is that it appeared in an episode of “Star Trek: Next Generation”.  Picard talked about how he saw and touched the missile in the Smithsonian.  Only, this missile (the exact one he touched) was never in the Smithsonian – the magic of TV!

Missile and Sky Reflection

After we toured the inside of the complex, we got to walk around and see the exact same missile from above.  Of course, when this was all active, it was all underground and hidden from view.  If you could see this, it was only seconds away from being launched, and you were in a heap of trouble being this close to it!  But, now, we get to peer down on the missile.  After I took the shot of the missile, I realized that the image also included a reflection of the sun and sky that were behind me.  I think it makes a great image!

Enjoy!