The Minuteman Missile museum HQ is located in Cactus Flat, SE of Wall, South Dakota.


You get your tour ticket at the HQ, first come first served. Only 6 per tour.


Hop in your car and go up the highway a couple miles to the Delta launch control facility.






You are met by a ranger who will walk you around. This is the Facilities Manager's room.


The Security Personnel's room has shades on the windows so they could sleep in the daytime.


Bathroom.


Dining room.


The day room did not always have this nice of furniture.


The security center. There was really no security for us, but when operational, there was a lot of list-checking and identification.



Up the elevator shaft in which we just went 32 feet down.


The Domino pizza logo was painted some time after the end of the operations - referring to the 30-minute delivery time of the missile.


The whole room, or capsule, is mounted on air-shocks (bottom left corner) to provide some movement in the event of a nearby blast. Also, air-conditioning is routed down through the yellow ducts.


The commanders desk. His rear-view mirror allowed him to maintain visual contact with his assistant.


Assistant's desk. They were 12 feet apart so one man could not turn both keys simultaneously.


The 2-man team was here for 24-hours and could not leave.


They controlled a group of 5 flights with 2 missiles each, and could monitor another group if needed.


As I recall this weighs 8 tons.


They called the security car the "rolling coffin" because although it had air-conditioning, that would make the engine overheat so they were frequently on the side of the road cooling the engine with the heater on.


After (or before) the launch control tour, you are free to go 11 miles up the road to see the D-1 missile silo. No ticket required.




Like the launch control facility, this is less than a mile from the highway.






More signs at the HQ.

[pickles]

AWESOME.....Thank You.
Cheers, Pickles.

[mtansley]

That is really impressive. Nice that you can use cameras and it doesn't seem like there are any restrictions.

I seem to remember a TV show about 15-20 years ago where a Russian General (or retired) visiting one of these bases somewhere in the U.S. and he commented through a translator that he was in charge of a base like this and that he felt quite at home since a lot of the equipment looked quite similar. He said that the only real difference was in the target direction.

Nice that they are museums today and never were really used.

[dcmsox2004]

great series.... for those of us who remember the cold war (and it did get quite hot).... this was a very unnerving time... dave m

[SpecialK]

Thanks for all the comments.

It is sort of an odd feeling seeing how much energy was put into the whole concept of a stand-off.

And yeah, I doubt there is much security risk about 50-year old computer systems now.

[Parallax]

Thanks for all the comments.

It is sort of an odd feeling seeing how much energy was put into the whole concept of a stand-off.

And yeah, I doubt there is much security risk about 50-year old computer systems now.

It was a big deal in the 70s when I was in Missile Security at Ellsworth AFB, working those very sites. One of the last lines on the Restricted Area signs that were posted around the fence lines was "Use of deadly force authorized". That wasn't there for show.
The site you were at would have been part of the squadron that I worked; 66th SMS. (66th Strategic Missile Squadron). As you said it was South of Wall, I'm assuming that was Delta Control. (I'm on my Droid using Tap-a-Talk, so I can't see the pictures right now.)

[jkwhawk]

Thanks for a great series!!! I spent some years sitting at the commander's console in underground capsules and then some more years in the maintenance end of the business. This was deja vu for me. And actually I enjoyed seeing it again. Imagine that.

[SpecialK]

The site you were at would have been part of the squadron that I worked; 66th SMS. (66th Strategic Missile Squadron). As you said it was South of Wall, I'm assuming that was Delta Control.

Yep, the shot of the AC ducts has "66 SMS" on the wall. And yep, Delta-01.

Thanks for a great series!!! I spent some years sitting at the commander's console in underground capsules and then some more years in the maintenance end of the business. This was deja vu for me. And actually I enjoyed seeing it again. Imagine that.

Thanks for the comment. Glad you liked the visit.

[charliezap]

You spent a lot of time and effort posting all your excellent photos from all the places pictured.What are you going to do for an encore?--charliezap

[SpecialK]

You spent a lot of time and effort posting all your excellent photos from all the places pictured.What are you going to do for an encore?--charliezap

Thanks for the support. Too early to think about that at the moment, though I believe any more long drives are not options, and my last flying adventure was a bit of a hassle. Perhaps Hawaii, where I can dredge up my Army days memories. However, if you take out the beaches, there is not a lot of stuff I want to see other than Pearl Harbor and the Punch Bowl. And a Pipeline Masters contest.

[buskel]

90th SPS. Weapons Storage Area. Nukes.
Cheyenne, Wy.
SAC was a bitch!

[Parallax]

90th SPS. Weapons Storage Area. Nukes.
Cheyenne, Wy.
SAC was a bitch!

Yup.

5010 SPS (AAC)
44 MSS
44 SPS

Then I wised up and re-trained.

[RoxnDox]

90th SPS. Weapons Storage Area. Nukes.
Cheyenne, Wy.
SAC was a bitch!

OL-A, CCSC, Comm Command
Offutt AFB, NE

Maintaining the comm link from Weather to SACDIN feeding winds-aloft data to the missile targeting and flight control systems
'84-'91


Great pics, SpecialK!

Jim

[Bob Harris]

Kyle, we have been in the area and never visited. I will definitely visit on our next trip through. Great shots and info. thanks Bob

[SpecialK]

There seems to be enough people to organize a missile-man meet-up.

If you are within 100 miles I'd say it is definitely worth it - that and the free ice-water at Wall Drug just up the road.