Driving through the quiet desert landscape around Tuscon, Arizona, you would never know you were cruising through what was once among the most heavily guarded sites in the world.
Slumbering just beneath the earth, a silent army of nuclear warheads waited for the outbreak of armageddon during the Cold War. The missiles were stored in massive underground silos, which were constructed in the early 1960s and closed in the early 1980s. Today, the area is home to one of the most mind-blowing destinations in the state.
The Titan Missile Museum actually has a more formal name: Air Force Facility Missile Site 8. More than a collection of Cold War memorabilia, this museum is actually located inside a decommissioned missile silo. The site is no longer run by the government but managed by the nonprofit Arizona Aerospace Foundation. Read on to learn more about this incredible museum and how you can explore a real nuclear missile silo.
If you’re interested in knowing where all the Arizona Titan missile silos are, check out this amazing map. Who knows? You could be living right next door to a sleeping giant.
The museum silo is one of 17 Titan II launch points in the area.
Flickr/Geoff Sterns
The silo extends 140 feet into the earth, and is composed of eight levels: two levels are the control center, and the other six are dedicated to housing the missile and other equipment.
Flickr/Todd Lappin
This museum features an exhibit unlike any other in the world: an actually inert Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile, still crouching in its original silo.
Flickr/Steve Jurvetson
This silo was meant to fire a warhead at “Target 2”, one of three targets that have remained classified to this day. Incredibly, even the crew at the silo did not know where “Target 2” actually was.
Flickr/Matt Blaze
During your visit, you’ll be able to explore the actual launch controls for the missile, as well as be given a guided tour through the silo.
Flickr/Geoff Stearns
If you’re really serious about exploring this place, the museum offers “top to bottom” tours that last 5 hours and include a maximum of six people. You’ll need reservations for these tours.
Flickr/Andrew Rollinger
In the mood for more amazing shots of this nation’s hidden and abandoned missile silos? Check out these incredible, rare photos of silos across the country, and be sure to watch the video exploration of one of the coolest abandoned sites we’ve ever seen. Thanks to YouTube user “The Unknown Cameraman” for the awesome footage.
Flickr/Geoff Sterns
Flickr/Todd Lappin
Flickr/Steve Jurvetson
Flickr/Matt Blaze
Flickr/Geoff Stearns
Flickr/Andrew Rollinger
Flickr/Jonathan Haeber
Flickr/Freeside
Flickr/freeside
It’s crazy to consider the implications of the use of these silos. Did you know about all the missile silos scattered around Arizona? Have you been to the museum? Let us know.
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