The Titan Missile Museum is south of Tucson in Green Valley, AZ. One of 18 Titan Missiles in the Tucson area pointed at the former Soviet Union during the cold war and one of 54 in the country, it's the only one left - non functioning, of course.
Our tour included the underground facility and the control room where the action would have occurred had there ever been an incident requiring a launch. Thankfully that never happened! Before the presentation began, a volunteer was requested. Yours truly immediately jumped on the opportunity. Yep, I really wanted to "push the button."
The demonstration was basically an enactment of the steps taken and what would have happened had the call to launch come in. As we went through the procedure, the lights lit up, the bells and whistles all went off. And then it was done. As our tour guide said, "In about 30 minutes, Moscow will be a hole in the ground."
By the way, this was the first combat position women were allowed to hold in the military. I'm feeling very powerful these days!
The warhead would have fit inside this re-entry vehicle which sat atop the missile. It was about the size of a hot water header and weighed about 8500 pounds.
On our way home, we stopped at the San Xavier Mission for a brief visit and a "picnic" lunch of... you guessed it, turkey sandwiches!
So that's it. No crazy Black Friday crowds for the Goodrums this year!
November 23
©2012 Michelle Goodrum
On my bucket list!
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