notpurfect

I visited the newest property of the NPS, in mid June of 2006. As someone who grew up during the Cold War, it was very illuminating to be able to enter one of the most restricted, and secure locations of the time. The Minuteman II carried a 1.2 mt warhead, about 100 times more powerful than those which destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The site itself is located in the middle of the South Dakota prarie, near Badlands National Park. The site consists of an actual underground silo, called Delta-09, and a launch control center, called Delta-01. These are about 11 miles apart. All of the componenets of the system were seperated by at least four miles, so that in the event of a nuclear strike, a single warhead would not be able to take out more than one component of the system.

The sites can not be casually visited. If you want to see them, I can tell you that the LCC is located off of exit 127 of Interstate 90, and the silo is located off of exit 16. These sites are no longer classified, or militarized; but the park service keeps them locked up. You will be able to see them on your own; but if you are not part of a park service tour, you will not be able to get inside.

Tours are given twice a day, at least as of this writing, and you must contact the site to reserve a spot. Whatever your feelings on the subject of nuclear weapons, and the military in general, this is a fascinating thing to see. You are taken underground to the LCC, and are taken out to an actual silo, which has since been decomissioned. It is interesting to note that, though these facilities have been decomissioned, there are still active examples in North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and Nebraska.

We once had 1000 Minuteman missiles sitting underground; we now have about 500. Ten years ago, attempting to enter these facilities would have gotten you killed. Today, a former Air Force officer takes tour groups down. Times have truly changed. If any one is interested in seeing photos of my own tour, they are at http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/nuke/mmiss.html

The tour pictures themselves start at http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/nuke/lcc.html