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The Missile

This is the reason for the existence of this entire base. It is a Titan II missile, and the silo that it sits within. This is a real missile, which has been deactivated. Back when the museum was set up, this missile was laid outside for thirty days, so that it could be observed, and it's deactivation verified by the Soviets. It is, according to our guide, the twelfth Titan II produced. The MKVI re entry vehicle sits on top, carrying a 9 MT W-53 warhead. Visible down the sides of the silo are a number of retracted service ramps, used by maintenance personnel. Also  visible are numerous gray pads, looking a bit like mattresses lining the silo walls. These are vibration dampers, and are in place to keep the missile from shaking itself to bits during launch. In addition, 100,000 gallons of water are dumped into the bottom of the silo at the moment of ignition, to prevent the exhaust jet from melting the lower portions of the missile body. These missiles had a 9,000 mile range, and reached a height of 100 miles, traveling into outer space. The ring, visible at the bottom, is the shock mounted base for the missile. These sites were hardened, and shock mounted, to be able to remain functional, even after nuclear attack.


ABOVE:
The first stage motor of the TItan II. Two of these nozzles are visible  sticking out of the bottom of the missile. These motors generate 430,000 pounds of thrust each.

LEFT:
The second stage motor of the Titan II. These motors are capable of producing 100,000 pounds of thrust each.

One of our guides acts as a scale to indicate the size of the second stage motors. A portion of the first stage nozzle is visible towards the upper right hand side of the photo, behind the second stage motors

There is no third stage to the Titan II; but there are some small motors used to help steer and correct the missile, once the first two stages have burned out.

The butterfly valve lock is one of several safety  features built into the design of the rocket.

A view down at the missile, centered on the MKVI re entry vehicle.

A look up at the MKVI re entry vehicle. This contains the W-53 warhead, as well as shock absorbing, and triggering materials.

This is the ready room, for servicing the missile. The protective suits, looking a bit like space suits, are required for two reasons. The first is that the oxidizer, nitrogen tetroxide, is very corrosive, and poisonous.  The second is that it was imperative that a constant temperature of 61 degrees be maintained within the silo.

A view of the are around the silo. To the left is a freight elevator, and to the right is an emergency eyewash. There are a number of openings, and view ports around the missile.

Some safety rails, stored away in one of the areas surrounding the missile. The missile is ringed by a series of extensible platforms, on several levels.

A pair of mannequins dressed up in missile servicers protective suits. The panel to the left warns that there are "personnel" occupying the platform, and that it should not be retracted.

A better look a the two "servicers" around the missile.

Ordinarily, even with men out servicing the missile, this door would always be kept closed, for safety reasons, and to help maintain a steady temperature.

A view of the MKVI re entry vehicle, with the guide used to show the scale. Note the close similarity in size, and shape to the Gemini space capsule.

This is what is called the physics package, of the W-53 warhead, carried by the Titan II. This is a 9 MT hydrogen bomb. The bomb is unusual in that the fission trigger uses highly enriched uranium, rather than plutonium, as the fissile material. Most bomb designs use plutonium.
The secondary stage, which is the fusion stage, used Lithium-6 (95% enrichment) deuteride fusion fuel. Cyclotol or Composition B high explosive (castable RDX/TNT mixtures), was molded into the lenses used to set off the primary.

Assuming a detonation at optimum height, a 9 megaton blast would result in a fireball roughly 1 mile in diameter,  lasting 12 seconds. The radiated heat would be sufficient to cause lethal burns to any unprotected person within 17.8 miles. Blast effects would be sufficient to collapse most residential and industrial structures within a 9.2 mile radius. Within 3.5 miles, virtually all above-ground structures would be destroyed and blast effects would inflict near 100% fatalities. Within 2.9 miles, a 500 rem dose of ionizing radiation would be received by the average person, sufficient to cause a 50% to 90% casualty rate independent of thermal or blast effects at this distance.
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