Titan Missile Museum

At the Titan Missile Museum, near Tucson, Arizona, visitors journey through time to stand on the front line of the Cold War. This preserved Titan II missile site, officially known as complex 571-7, is all that remains of the 54 Titan II missile sites that were on alert across the United States from 1963 to 1987. Able to launch from its underground silo in just 58 seconds, the Titan II was capable of delivering a 9-megaton nuclear warhead to targets more than 6300 miles (10,000 km) away in about 30 minutes.

I had been looking forward to visiting this attraction since Pat told me about it last week. I knew little to nothing about these Goliath missiles before visiting, but the volunteers at the museum were very helpful and educational. I made sure to take the guided tour ($9.50) down into the silo to see the control room and the Titan II missile itself.

They even went through the simulation to launch… a whopping 58 seconds is all it would have taken (after multiple redundant top secret codes, authorizations, and checks) to have this bad boy flying at 17,000 miles per hour towards it’s target. All the bells and whistles sounded, lights flashed on the displays, but that is as far as it went. Still a very eerie feeling to see and hear it all.

17 others launch sites have been closed down since the cold war. This museum, and the entire site, is the last remaining site in the country. Definitely worth the few dollars and the 1 hour tour.