11 Apr
2001
11 Apr
'01
5:28 p.m.
(Crossposted to CLASSICCMP and the milsurplus list)
My mate and I will be visiting friends in Tucson around the end of May.
While there, I aim to do some scrounging!
I'm less interested in computer hardware (with one notable exception --
specifically, an Intermec bar-code label printer, direct thermal species)
than I am in test equipment and radio hardware, both mil-surplus and
commercial. In fact, I have need of a good source for used aircraft-type
circuit breakers (the pop-button type, both DC and AC) at this time.
Suggestions for scrounge stops in the Tucson/Phoenix area would be
appreciated. Please keep in mind that I'll only have one day to do this.
Thanks much.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Owner and head honcho, Blue Feather Technologies
http://www.bluefeathertech.com // E-mail: kyrrin(a)bluefeathertech.com
Amateur Radio: WD6EOS since Dec. '77 (Extra class as of June-2K)
"I'll get a life when someone demonstrates to me that it would be
superior to what I have now..." (Gym Z. Quirk, aka Taki Kogoma).
11 Apr
11 Apr
6:45 p.m.
I used to be NNN0NZE. We did a lot of traffic with NNN0NKF - or maybe it
was the other way round'.... You might have heard me doing phone patches
from Okinawa or Saudi Arabia. The bad guys shelled our
Mars station
though. No more phone patch. Just a collection of craters. The duty
operator was in the can' which saved his life. Some times bowl movements
are useful like that.....
We ran the station out of a Connex box and had a Packrat packet radio
modem that I though was neat as hell. Ran from a Zenith 286' box.
BTW, The Iraqis also managed to shell the satellite phone system that ATT
set up a few clicks away..... I guess they REALLY REALLY didn't want us
phoning home. Glad that they had less interest in us COMING HOME. Thank
God for that.
Regards and thanks to you ham radio folks - you made our lives there more
bearable.
Jeff
In <3.0.5.32.20010411192806.009e47e0(a)192.168.42.129>29>, on 04/11/01
at 11:45 PM, Bruce Lane <kyrrin(a)bluefeathertech.com> said:
Amateur Radio: WD6EOS since Dec. '77 (Extra class
as of June-2K)
--
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jeffrey S. Worley
President
Complete Computer Services, Inc.
30 Greenwood Rd.
Asheville, NC 28803
828-277-5959
Visit our website at HTTP://www.Real-Techs.com
THETechnoid(a)home.com
-----------------------------------------------------------
11:50 p.m.
I'm less interested in computer hardware (with one
notable exception --
specifically, an Intermec bar-code label printer, direct thermal species)
My brain my be doing a flop, but I am almost certain I saw a box of those
at the last TRW hamfest in Torrance, CA. Anybody else that was there, the
guy was one of the regular sellers on the very west end of a middle row.
OTOH I have no idea what they really look like, these were black units
about 4x6x8 inches, but them being bar code printers seems to have stuck in
my mind.
BTW a really neat spot south of Tucson is the ONLY Titan missile site still
intact, and its open for tours.
12 Apr
12 Apr
5:14 a.m.
At 01:50 12-04-2001 -0700, Mike wrote:
BTW a really neat spot south of Tucson is the ONLY
Titan missile site still
intact, and its open for tours.
I appreciate the thought, Mike, but using what little time I will have to
scrounge touring something with an ultimately destructive purpose is just
not very high on my priority list.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Owner and head honcho, Blue Feather Technologies
http://www.bluefeathertech.com // E-mail: kyrrin(a)bluefeathertech.com
Amateur Radio: WD6EOS since Dec. '77 (Extra class as of June-2K)
"I'll get a life when someone demonstrates to me that it would be
superior to what I have now..." (Gym Z. Quirk, aka Taki Kogoma).
5:47 a.m.
There are other Titan silos but they've been converted to things like
research labs, homes, observatories, etc scattered throughout the US but
none are an actual "missile site" anymore other than the one you speak of.
Is this site a government museum, or a privately run one? Do they actually
have a Titan in it?
I've been all over the boneyard at Davis-Monthan throughout the years while
still active AF but didn't know there was a Titan site anywhere around.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Bruce Lane
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2001 9:15 AM
To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Arizona trip
At 01:50 12-04-2001 -0700, Mike wrote:
BTW a really neat spot south of Tucson is the ONLY
Titan missile
site still
intact, and its open for tours.
I appreciate the thought, Mike, but using what little time
I will have to
scrounge touring something with an ultimately destructive purpose is just
not very high on my priority list.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Owner and head honcho, Blue Feather Technologies
http://www.bluefeathertech.com // E-mail: kyrrin(a)bluefeathertech.com
Amateur Radio: WD6EOS since Dec. '77 (Extra class as of June-2K)
"I'll get a life when someone demonstrates to me that it would be
superior to what I have now..." (Gym Z. Quirk, aka Taki Kogoma). 
6:35 a.m.
Actually the Titan in Tuscon is slightly famous. Parts of a Star Trek
movie were filmed there. It is the one where Picard and crew chased the
Borg back in time to allow the first Warp travel flight.
It is a bit strange to think that a vehicle like the one there might have
caused so much distruction but remember the Titan also flew the Gemini
spacecraft in the 60's advancing the knowledge of manned spaceflight.
=========================================================
George L. Rachor Jr. george(a)racsys.rt.rain.com
Hillsboro, Oregon http://racsys.rt.rain.com
United States of America Amateur Radio : KD7DCX
On Thu, 12 Apr 2001, Russ Blakeman wrote:
There are other Titan silos but they've been
converted to things like
research labs, homes, observatories, etc scattered throughout the US but
none are an actual "missile site" anymore other than the one you speak of.
Is this site a government museum, or a privately run one? Do they actually
have a Titan in it?
I've been all over the boneyard at Davis-Monthan throughout the years while
still active AF but didn't know there was a Titan site anywhere around.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Bruce Lane
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2001 9:15 AM
To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Arizona trip
At 01:50 12-04-2001 -0700, Mike wrote:
BTW a really neat spot south of Tucson is the ONLY
Titan missile
site still
intact, and its open for tours.
I appreciate the thought, Mike, but using what little time
I will have to
scrounge touring something with an ultimately destructive purpose is just
not very high on my priority list.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Owner and head honcho, Blue Feather Technologies
http://www.bluefeathertech.com // E-mail: kyrrin(a)bluefeathertech.com
Amateur Radio: WD6EOS since Dec. '77 (Extra class as of June-2K)
"I'll get a life when someone demonstrates to me that it would be
superior to what I have now..." (Gym Z. Quirk, aka Taki Kogoma). 
6:49 a.m.
Standing on the top of Kitt Peak (50 miles SW of Tucson) at night
during the 60's and 70's you could see a dozen or so Titan sites on
the surrounding desert floor. They had a couple of green lights.
If you saw these lights turn red, you knew it was time to duck.
The road to Kitt Peak passed within a few hundred feet of one site.
Maybe this is the "museum"?
Dave
Russ Blakeman wrote:
There are other Titan silos but they've been converted to things like
research labs, homes, observatories, etc scattered throughout the US but
none are an actual "missile site" anymore other than the one you speak of.
Is this site a government museum, or a privately run one? Do they actually
have a Titan in it?
I've been all over the boneyard at Davis-Monthan throughout the years while
still active AF but didn't know there was a Titan site anywhere around.
2:25 p.m.
The one that's the museum may be one of the old sites. I've seen the lights
on sites myself and been in under "no lone zone" procedures and been knee
deep in water where a sump failed. The lights were actually go-nogo for the
lid. When the lid was unlatched for opening the light would go red as a
stand clear wanring. On the newer sites I believe that no one needs to be
warned as the launch tubes are satellited way off from the launch complex -
one complex to about a dozen missiles. There's an access to the launch tube
for maintenance but not like the Titan setup. The Titan launch complex had a
control center, barracks, etc next to each launch tube, one crew/complex for
each missile. The ones active now are one crew, many remote missiles.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of David C. Jenner
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2001 10:49 AM
To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Arizona trip
Standing on the top of Kitt Peak (50 miles SW of Tucson) at night
during the 60's and 70's you could see a dozen or so Titan sites on
the surrounding desert floor. They had a couple of green lights.
If you saw these lights turn red, you knew it was time to duck.
The road to Kitt Peak passed within a few hundred feet of one site.
Maybe this is the "museum"?
Dave
Russ Blakeman wrote:
There are other Titan silos but they've been converted to things like
research labs, homes, observatories, etc scattered throughout the US but
none are an actual "missile site" anymore other than the one
you speak
of.
Is this site a government museum, or a privately
run one? Do
they actually
have a Titan in it?
I've been all over the boneyard at Davis-Monthan throughout the
years while
> still active AF but didn't know there was a Titan site anywhere around.
> 
9:12 a.m.
I don't know if it was for Titan's, but I ran across a webpage a
couple of years ago that showed a photographic tour of a missle silo
that the photographer and his buddy had managed to gain access to. The
silo had been under padlock and parts of it were flooded and/or caved
in, but there were still parts to equipment and such down there. It was
pretty interesting.
Jeff
On Thursday, April 12, 2001, at 10:47 AM, Russ Blakeman wrote:
There are other Titan silos but they've been
converted to things like
research labs, homes, observatories, etc scattered throughout the US but
none are an actual "missile site" anymore other than the one you speak
of.
Is this site a government museum, or a privately run one? Do they
actually
have a Titan in it?
I've been all over the boneyard at Davis-Monthan throughout the years
while
still active AF but didn't know there was a Titan site anywhere around.
9:48 a.m.
For the last 5 to 10 years you could _buy_ a silo from the Gov't as long as
you promised not to reactivate it :-) There is an article in Popular
Science about a couple that converted one to living space.
At a dinner I attended one person there claimed to have bought one (can you
say crazy but lucky Silicon Valley type that got out of the market in
time?) and has been renovating it for living/storage space. There were
several different types, the vertical Titan II types and the horizontal
Minuteman types. (He has a vertical one I believe) It had quite a bit of
equipment left behind in it that wasn't considered worth either destroying
or hauling out (much gear was carried in as pieces and assembled inside).
The most useful thing that he has salvaged was the Onan 50Kw power
generator that supplies power, the "coolest" thing is the "scram lift"
that
gets you down to the bottom really quickly.
Now frankly he certainly had the means to pull this off but I give his tale
only about 40% credibility rating as there is something of the story
telling aspect to it. He offered a tour when it was done so I'll follow up
when I get his call to come visit ...
--Chuck
At 02:12 PM 4/12/2001 -0400, jeff wrote:
I don't know if it was for Titan's,
but I ran across a webpage a
couple of years ago that showed a photographic tour of a missle silo that
the photographer and his buddy had managed to gain access to. The silo
had been under padlock and parts of it were flooded and/or caved in, but
there were still parts to equipment and such down there. It was pretty
interesting.
2:17 p.m.
I knew about the converted one, I've seen pictures of it from a friend of
mine that visited the people but can't remember where it was located. I
wouldn't have guessed that since Start that anyone could utilize a recently
deactivated silo as part of the treaty inspections was onsite verification
that the site(s) were made useless, usually by filling with concrete or by
imploding with explosives. I went out on one in Wyoming in 92 as aprt of an
inspection team and it was a site and sound when the charges went off. What
really sucked was that they ground up full B-52s into scraps that weren't
even active anymore in IL, they were used for static display and training.
No engines, just pods.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Chuck McManis
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2001 1:49 PM
To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Arizona trip
For the last 5 to 10 years you could _buy_ a silo from the Gov't
as long as
you promised not to reactivate it :-) There is an article in Popular
Science about a couple that converted one to living space.
At a dinner I attended one person there claimed to have bought
one (can you
say crazy but lucky Silicon Valley type that got out of the market in
time?) and has been renovating it for living/storage space. There were
several different types, the vertical Titan II types and the horizontal
Minuteman types. (He has a vertical one I believe) It had quite a bit of
equipment left behind in it that wasn't considered worth either
destroying
or hauling out (much gear was carried in as pieces and assembled inside).
The most useful thing that he has salvaged was the Onan 50Kw power
generator that supplies power, the "coolest" thing is the "scram
lift" that
gets you down to the bottom really quickly.
Now frankly he certainly had the means to pull this off but I
give his tale
only about 40% credibility rating as there is something of the story
telling aspect to it. He offered a tour when it was done so I'll
follow up
when I get his call to come visit ...
--Chuck
At 02:12 PM 4/12/2001 -0400, jeff wrote:
I don't know if it was for
Titan's, but I ran across a
webpage a
couple of years ago that showed a photographic
tour of a missle
silo that
the photographer and his buddy had managed to
gain access to. The silo
had been under padlock and parts of it were flooded and/or
caved in, but
there were still parts to equipment and such down
there. It was pretty
interesting.
2:35 p.m.
If it's the one I'm thinking of it's an old Atlas (pre Titan) silo up near
Plattsburgh New York. If it is the same one it's since been blasted due to
the dangerous conditions of both being in it and the possibility of cave-in
above. It should have been near the town of Saranac.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Jeff Hellige
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2001 1:12 PM
To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Arizona trip
I don't know if it was for Titan's, but I ran across a webpage a
couple of years ago that showed a photographic tour of a missle silo
that the photographer and his buddy had managed to gain access to. The
silo had been under padlock and parts of it were flooded and/or caved
in, but there were still parts to equipment and such down there. It was
pretty interesting.
Jeff
On Thursday, April 12, 2001, at 10:47 AM, Russ Blakeman wrote:
> There are other Titan silos but they've been converted to things like
> research labs, homes, observatories, etc scattered throughout the US but
> none are an actual "missile site" anymore other than the one you speak
> of.
> Is this site a government museum, or a privately run one? Do they
> actually
> have a Titan in it?
>
> I've been all over the boneyard at Davis-Monthan throughout the years
> while
> still active AF but didn't know there was a Titan site anywhere around.
>
3:20 p.m.
If it's the one I'm thinking of it's an old
Atlas (pre Titan) silo up near
Plattsburgh New York. If it is the same one it's since been blasted due to
the dangerous conditions of both being in it and the possibility of cave-in
above. It should have been near the town of Saranac.
I actually found the website again! The URL was still in the
bookmarks on my laptop (which NEVER gets cleaned off). Sometimes I'm
thankful for being such a packrat and being able to go back and find
4 year old emails <g>. Anyway, he's moved the site but it's still
active at:
http://triggur.org/silo/
He doesn't give any clear indicators as to where it's
located, but here's the statistics he does list:
Missile type: Titan I
Missile count: 3
Missile speed: 18,000 MPH
Missile burns: 1 ton fuel/sec
Silo doors: 2x116 tons
Fuel storage: 26,000 gals/silo LOX
Active during: 1963-1965
Feet of tunnel: 2000
Feet of wire: 3 million
Miles of re-bar: 2400
Tons of concrete: 405,000
Tons of structural steel: 6,900
yards^3 of dirt displaced: 800,000
Water tanks: 2x30,000 gallons
Diesel tanks: 2x67,000 gallons
Generators: 4x1 megawatt
Capacity: 150 people/30 days
Total depth: 165 feet
All in all, I thought it was pretty interesting.
Jeff
--
Collector of Classic Microcomputers and Video Game Systems:
Home of the TRS-80 Model 2000 FAQ File
http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/lakes/6757
5:14 p.m.
I've seen this before probaably 5 yrs ago and totally forgot about it -
thanks for the link.
I doubt it's in NY - this is a Titan I as they stated and I've been in a
closed Atlas in NY and an active Titan II site(just before closure, helped
crate and ship). I hadn't seen one with 3 missiles tied to it either. Much
of it is old school too - the "buddy system" became "No Lone Zone-Two Man
Policy" which became "Ywo Person Policy" during the politically correct
period of the early 90's. The Buddy System used to cover both nuclear surety
and personal safety then as you couldn't screw up the missile or system if
you had someone with you trained to watch - and if you got hurt you were
already with someone to call for help. Matter of fact everyone was under the
Human Reliability Program too - get sick or have a money problem? You come
to us instead of taking care of it yourself.
LOX is an acronym for Liquid OXygen, the oxidizer for the liquid hydrazine
fuel that was stored in the big black tank. Why it wreaked of either kero or
fuel oil is probably like washing a gas tank with kerosene before you weld
or grind on it - it coats remaining vapors/fuels and makes them to heavy for
ignition.
165 person capacity and all of them MALE, including security,
communications, mess, medical, etc. How'd you like to be in that stateside
submarine for a couple months sailor? It still all looks like the Chicago
subway system to me though, even after 20 yrs around all of that.
A shame what people did to it though and none of them left any real graffiti
to lend itself to where the site is at. Looking at the terrain it could be
Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Michigan, the Dakotas, Wyoming,
Montana, etc. There's nothing there to give a clue and during the Kennedy
cold war freakout they put silos and missiles just about anywhere. Hell for
all we know it could be a flat place in Mississippi somewhere.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Jeff Hellige
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2001 7:20 PM
To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: RE: Arizona trip
If it's the one I'm thinking of it's
an old Atlas (pre Titan)
silo up near
Plattsburgh New York. If it is the same one
it's since been
blasted due to
the dangerous conditions of both being in it and
the possibility
of cave-in
above. It should have been near the town of
Saranac.
I actually found the website again! The URL was still in the
bookmarks on my laptop (which NEVER gets cleaned off). Sometimes I'm
thankful for being such a packrat and being able to go back and find
4 year old emails <g>. Anyway, he's moved the site but it's still
active at:
http://triggur.org/silo/
He doesn't give any clear indicators as to where it's
located, but here's the statistics he does list:
Missile type: Titan I
Missile count: 3
Missile speed: 18,000 MPH
Missile burns: 1 ton fuel/sec
Silo doors: 2x116 tons
Fuel storage: 26,000 gals/silo LOX
Active during: 1963-1965
Feet of tunnel: 2000
Feet of wire: 3 million
Miles of re-bar: 2400
Tons of concrete: 405,000
Tons of structural steel: 6,900
yards^3 of dirt displaced: 800,000
Water tanks: 2x30,000 gallons
Diesel tanks: 2x67,000 gallons
Generators: 4x1 megawatt
Capacity: 150 people/30 days
Total depth: 165 feet
All in all, I thought it was pretty interesting.
Jeff
--
Collector of Classic Microcomputers and Video Game Systems:
Home of the TRS-80 Model 2000 FAQ File
http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/lakes/6757
10:47 p.m.
On Thu, 12 Apr 2001, Jeff Hellige wrote:
Active during:
1963-1965
What's amazing to me is that they built such a huge (and expensive)
facility and then only used it for such a short time.
--
------- Alex Holden -------
http://www.linuxhacker.org/
http://www.robogeeks.org/
13 Apr
13 Apr
1:16 a.m.
On Fri, 13 Apr 2001, Alex Holden wrote:
On Thu, 12 Apr 2001, Jeff Hellige wrote:
In the spirit of Accuracy: just change "they" to "us taxpayers".
2 Days to April 15th, for all you U.S. taxpayer types... ;}
Cheerz
John
Active during:
1963-1965
What's amazing to me is that they built such a huge (and expensive)
facility and then only used it for such a short time.
4:42 a.m.
Some of the Atlas sites were put in so quick and never saw a booster
installed. Just the fact that the sites were there was supposed to
intimidate the Soviets, both in Moscow and in Havana.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Alex Holden
Sent: Friday, April 13, 2001 2:47 AM
To: Jeff Hellige
Cc: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: RE: Arizona trip
On Thu, 12 Apr 2001, Jeff Hellige wrote:
Active during:
1963-1965
What's amazing to me is that they built such a huge (and expensive)
facility and then only used it for such a short time.
--
------- Alex Holden -------
http://www.linuxhacker.org/
http://www.robogeeks.org/
12 Apr
12 Apr
5:58 p.m.
There are other Titan silos but they've been
converted to things like
research labs, homes, observatories, etc scattered throughout the US but
none are an actual "missile site" anymore other than the one you speak of.
Is this site a government museum, or a privately run one? Do they actually
have a Titan in it?
I've been all over the boneyard at Davis-Monthan throughout the years while
still active AF but didn't know there was a Titan site anywhere around.
The Titan in the silo was actually used in a Star Trek movie, and is most
impressive up close.
It is amazing, and for me being born in 1956, it made the cold war much
more real and serious. The restoration was meticulous, with not just the
main bits, but all the normal clutter of manuals etc. on bookshelves. The
feeling going in is very much "time warp". Below are some links.
http://pimaair.org/titan_01.htm
http://world.std.com/~bor/arizona/arizona.htm
The PIMA air museum is also not far from Tucson, but I didn't bother to go
since I live so close to the main PIMA site in Chino, Cal.
6:50 p.m.
Now that website with the Tucson Titan II site is more of what I've seen
before, when we wer stripping and crating the sites at Little Rock. Even
many of the panels are familiar looking, as is the "No Lone Zone - Two Man
Policy Mandatory" which has been changed to "two person policy" since the
late 80's/early 90's...oh well it at least brings back a sense of reality
anyway.
Does working around nukes so long have anything to do with why my wife keeps
thinking there's a nightlight on when I come to bed? (grin)
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Mike Ford
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2001 9:58 PM
To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: RE: Arizona trip
There are other Titan silos but they've been
converted to things like
research labs, homes, observatories, etc scattered throughout the US but
none are an actual "missile site" anymore other than the one you
speak
of.
Is this site a government museum, or a privately
run one? Do
they actually
have a Titan in it?
I've been all over the boneyard at Davis-Monthan throughout the
years while
still active AF but didn't know there was a
Titan site anywhere around.
The Titan in the silo was actually used in a Star Trek movie, and is most
impressive up close.
It is amazing, and for me being born in 1956, it made the cold war much
more real and serious. The restoration was meticulous, with not just the
main bits, but all the normal clutter of manuals etc. on bookshelves. The
feeling going in is very much "time warp". Below are some links.
http://pimaair.org/titan_01.htm
http://world.std.com/~bor/arizona/arizona.htm
The PIMA air museum is also not far from Tucson, but I didn't bother to go
since I live so close to the main PIMA site in Chino, Cal.
10:54 a.m.
Titans are the big ICBM's right? Have they been replaced with something
else, or do we not have any ICBM's anymore? I know Subs (Boomers) have
a lot of our missles now.
Chad Fernandez
Michigan, USA
Mike Ford wrote:
BTW a really neat spot south of Tucson is the ONLY
Titan missile site still
intact, and its open for tours.
12:20 p.m.
Titans are the big ICBM's right?
Big enough that they evolved into the biggest (unmanned) launch vehicle
that the US now has.
Have they been replaced with something
else, or do we not have any ICBM's anymore? I know Subs (Boomers) have
a lot of our missles now.
Last time I checked US still had Minuteman III (1500 warheads on 500 to
750 missiles), MX (950 warheads on a few hundred missiles). I had thought
we had gone to a 1 warhead/missile policy since then, though.
If that's not enough to make you radiate, the sub fleet carries about
3300 warheads (again, last time I checked) on a hundred or so Trident 1 and 2
missiles. The bomber force has 1500 low yield and a thousand or so
megaton sized weapons, and there are 1200 or so nuclear tipped cruise
missiles out there, too.
Sleep well,
Eric
12:48 p.m.
At 02:20 PM 4/12/2001 -0700, you wrote:
Not quite, Titan IIs are a medium lift space launch vehicle with an
approximate 4,500 lbs to LEO capability. The Boeing Delta II with the lift
package can put 12,000 lbs into LEO. The Delta 3, its bigger brother can
put 18,000 lbs into LEO.
At one time the Titan II was the only "flying" launch vehicle in our inventory.
I believe this is dependent on the implementation of START III, Minuteman
III is the bulk of the missile fleet. And are operated in part at Minot
AFB (see <http://www.minot.af.mil/91sw/>)
All Minuteman III missiles contain a classic computer (the Guidance
computer) as production of this missile stopped in 1978.
--Chuck
Titans are the
big ICBM's right?
Big enough that they evolved into the biggest (unmanned) launch vehicle
that the US now has. Have they been
replaced with something
else, or do we not have any ICBM's anymore? I know Subs (Boomers) have
a lot of our missles now.
Last time I checked US still had Minuteman III (1500 warheads on 500 to
750 missiles), MX (950 warheads on a few hundred missiles). I had thought
we had gone to a 1 warhead/missile policy since then, though.
2:17 p.m.
Production of the missile has ceased but updates are always being added to
any of the weapons systems in any branch. I believe the computer has been
updated (although still a basic shell of the original) at least 20 times
since end of production. They still have sites other than Minot but many of
the sites have been closed and imploded after being stripped.
All Minuteman III missiles contain a classic computer
(the Guidance
computer) as production of this missile stopped in 1978.
--Chuck
3:41 p.m.
At 02:20 PM 4/12/2001 -0700, you wrote:
Not quite, Titan IIs are a medium lift space launch vehicle with an
approximate 4,500 lbs to LEO capability. The Boeing Delta II with the lift
package can put 12,000 lbs into LEO. The Delta 3, its bigger brother can
put 18,000 lbs into LEO.
At one time the Titan II was the only "flying" launch vehicle in our inventory.
I was counting the Titan IV as what it evolved into. It really is different
enough that it is a Titan in name only. It can put 47,800 lb into LEU.
I still see enough of Thor in Delta III that I would consider it a decendent
of the Thor IRBM.
I don't know what Delta II uses for guidance these days, but in 92 they
used what I would consider a classic computer.
Eric
Titans
are the big ICBM's right?
Big enough that they evolved into the biggest (unmanned) launch vehicle
that the US now has.
2:33 p.m.
At one time they made the biggest mess of an Arkansas landscape of any
missile on a given day (grin). I do belive though that they've been passed
up on the biggest by newer Deltas and others, not sure of specs though.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Eric J. Korpela
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2001 4:20 PM
To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Arizona trip
Titans are the big ICBM's right?
Big enough that they evolved into the biggest (unmanned) launch vehicle
that the US now has.
2:07 p.m.
Yeah they are intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that were
dangerous as hell and one even blew up ina silo in Little Rock AR sometime
back due to sloppy maintainers dropping a large socket that shoul have been
lanyarded. They used a hydrazine based fuel and when the fuel was exposed to
oxgen (air) it became self explosive. They should all have been
decommisioned exct the ones used by NASA for satellite launches. The
Atlas's, Thors, etc are all gone unless they are in use as launch boosters.
We still have ICBMs but they are all solid propellant now. Even the ones on
subs (poseidons, etc)are ICBMs. As long as they can be launched way in to
the upper atmosphere to be able to plummet down on the selected target
somewhere across the earth, hence the intercontinetal and the ballistic.
Cruise missiles don't fall into this category. They are launched (usually)
from an aircraft and power themselves at a relatively
aircraft-like flight
to the target. They are also too short ranged to be
intercontinetal, about
1500 miles for an ALCM. They can do a "ballistic" delivery in that near the
target they can climb to their maximum ceiling and then cut power and glide
like a rock into the selected target area.
The two main land-based ICBMs left are the "Peacekeeper" (aka MX) and the
Minuteman III.
See these two pages if you're interest is there:
http://www.af.mil/news/factsheets/LG_118A_Peacekeeper.html
http://www.af.mil/news/factsheets/LGM_30_Minuteman_III.html
I used to work tactical missiles and smart bombs, then went to cruise
missiles the second half of my time in the AF. See
http://www.af.mil/news/factsheets/AGM_86B_C_Missiles.html
I worked a lot with the Minuteman II and III stuff as well as the
Peacekepper/MX as well. People in California near Vandenburg know of all t
he launches they do out there.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Chad Fernandez
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2001 2:55 PM
To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Arizona trip
Titans are the big ICBM's right? Have they been replaced with something
else, or do we not have any ICBM's anymore? I know Subs (Boomers) have
a lot of our missles now.
Chad Fernandez
Michigan, USA
Mike Ford wrote:
BTW a really neat spot south of Tucson is the
ONLY Titan
missile site still
> intact, and its open for tours. 
5:21 a.m.
New subject: Arizona trip - now milsurplus@qth.net
At 07:53 12-04-2001 -0500, John Foust wrote:
At 07:28 PM 4/11/01 -0700, Bruce Lane wrote:
Pretty much dedicated to the restoration and use of mil-surplus
electronics, primarily radio and test equipment. Never seen computers
mentioned on it except in brief passing, such as someone mentioning what
system they keep a given database on.
To subscribe, send a blurb to majordomo(a)qth.net with 'subscribe
milsurplus' (sans quotes) in the body.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Owner and head honcho, Blue Feather Technologies
http://www.bluefeathertech.com // E-mail: kyrrin(a)bluefeathertech.com
Amateur Radio: WD6EOS since Dec. '77 (Extra class as of June-2K)
"I'll get a life when someone demonstrates to me that it would be
superior to what I have now..." (Gym Z. Quirk, aka Taki Kogoma).
(Crossposted to CLASSICCMP and the milsurplus
list)
milsurplus(a)qth.net ? Can you tell us about that list? 
4:08 a.m.
Bruce,
I'm in Florida and not in Arizona but what kind of Intermec stuff are
you looking for? I find lots of it at one of the surplus places that I go to.
Joe
At 07:28 PM 4/11/01 -0700, you wrote:
(Crossposted to CLASSICCMP and the milsurplus list)
My mate and I will be visiting friends in Tucson around the end of May.
While there, I aim to do some scrounging!
I'm less interested in computer hardware (with one notable exception --
specifically, an Intermec bar-code label printer, direct thermal species)
than I am in test equipment and radio hardware, both mil-surplus and
commercial. In fact, I have need of a good source for used aircraft-type
circuit breakers (the pop-button type, both DC and AC) at this time.
Suggestions for scrounge stops in the Tucson/Phoenix area would be
appreciated. Please keep in mind that I'll only have one day to do this.
Thanks much.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Owner and head honcho, Blue Feather Technologies
http://www.bluefeathertech.com // E-mail: kyrrin(a)bluefeathertech.com
Amateur Radio: WD6EOS since Dec. '77 (Extra class as of June-2K)
"I'll get a life when someone demonstrates to me that it would be
superior to what I have now..." (Gym Z. Quirk, aka Taki Kogoma).
8483
days inactive
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28 comments
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alex＠linuxhacker.org -
cmcmanis＠mcmanis.com -
djenner＠halcyon.com -
fernande＠internet1.net -
george＠racsys.rt.rain.com -
jfoust＠threedee.com -
jhellige＠earthlink.net -
jpl15＠panix.com -
korpela＠ellie.ssl.berkeley.edu -
kyrrin＠bluefeathertech.com -
mikeford＠socal.rr.com -
rhblake＠bigfoot.com -
rigdonj＠intellistar.net -
THETechnoid＠home.com