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This is an older experience, but I recall being very confused by the design of this Atlas site. I'm not as familiar with the 564th regiment, but I was expecting a mostly reclusive/underground design similar to that of the 566th regiment or titan silos; I only found minimal underground structures, and I'm now wondering if anybody knows the past of this site. Was it imploded? or was this just a more exposed base, in design? I'm also wondering if anybody has recently visited any of the 566th regiment silos or any other wyoming/colorado silos and has had any success. Still bummed the 566-6 was flooded.
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Oh boy, I went off on a deep dive into the missile silo rabbit hole a few months back and I've got plenty of info to dump, so strap in haha.
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It was a far more exposed design because the Atlas D missiles were the earliest design of American missiles. Atlas A through C were prototypes ICBMs that were usually stored on exposed launchpads until launch. Atlas D was the very first operational ICBM the US ever deployed and the missiles were stored horizontally in reinforced garage-like structures above ground to offer them some protection from conventional weapons and the weather. These garages had a roof that slid open to allow the missile to be raised into the vertical position for launch- sort of an ancestor to the modern missile silo door. The Atlas D series also did not have onboard navigational equipment, so they had to be guided by radio signals broadcasted from a control building next to the launch bay.
Atlas E moved these horizontal launch bays underground to better protect them from potential attackers, though they were usually buried extremely shallow. The Atlas E missiles also featured onboard guidance systems, removing the need for the radio broadcast control building.
It wasn't until Atlas F that the traditional vertical missile silo was pioneered. Storing the missiles vertically cut down on launch time since they didn't need to be raised from the horizontal position prior to launch anymore. While silo design was completely overhauled with this redesign, the missile itself was much the same.
The reason Titan silos look so much different is because the Titan series was designed independently at the same time as the Atlas series since the government didn't want to put all its eggs in one basket. Titan missiles were faster, longer ranged, and could carry heavier payloads than Atlas missiles- but they had notable design flaws such as the tendency of the fuel tanks to explode while the missile was still in the silo. The shortcomings of both systems eventually led to the creation of the Minuteman I series which eventually replaced both Atlas and Titan as ICBMS. Both series pivoted to becoming civilian spaceflight vehicles, and are in use to this day as the Atlas V and Titan IV spacecraft.
[last edit 3/11/2024 4:03 AM by Aran - edited 10 times]
"Sorry, I didn't know I'm not supposed to be here," he said, knowing full well he wasn't supposed to be there.
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How are those looking these days anyway? I've made it my goal to explore one of every kind of remaining missile site, and since the Oklahoma ones were repurposed the Wyoming ones are the last remaining in the world. Are they still abandoned or do local farmers use them now?
"Sorry, I didn't know I'm not supposed to be here," he said, knowing full well he wasn't supposed to be there.
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Posted by Aran
How are those looking these days anyway? I've made it my goal to explore one of every kind of remaining missile site, and since the Oklahoma ones were repurposed the Wyoming ones are the last remaining in the world. Are they still abandoned or do local farmers use them now?
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Some of this info is going to come from google maps satellite imaging(since most of my info isn't as recent), and I have noticed that most of the 566th regiment is privately owned & used, I remember one of them was up for sale a few years ago, and another was flooded(566-6 I think). I'm pretty sure one of them is even a company headquarters or something of that ilk lol. Definitely a finite experience; we are lucky to have been able to see this part of history. I'm also going to dedicate a separate thread to discuss the Deer Trail Titan Silo, since I've heard/seen some capital-C-Crazy Shit about it recently.
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