Major Locales of the Titan I Complex

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Control Center

The Control Center, as implied by it's name, contained the central nervous system of the Titan I complex.  Security, guidance, computing, launches and myriad other functions were performed at the consoles and equipment housed in this area.  

 

A dome-shaped structure 100 feet in diameter and 35' 9" high, the Control Center was comprised of 2 stories.  

 

The lower floor contained:

  1. A large maintenance area

  2. A mechanical equipment room containing air handling equipment and monitoring and control apparatus for services in the Control Center

  3. An electrical equipment room for the power needs of the Control Center

  4. A dining room and pantry

  5. A latrine (of course)

  6. An "Airmen Ready Room" (not entirely sure what that means - something along the lines of lounge I believe)

  7. An "Officer's ready room" (like above only a darn sight better I reckon)

The upper floor contained:

  1. An operations room containing the consoles, guidance computer and launch clocks

  2. A communications equipment room

  3. The launch complex office (which we will later see was certainly superfluous at some bases)

  4. A latrine and maintenance closet

Fig. 7  Control Center - Side aspect

From the main tunnel junction the connecting tunnel slopes upward into the Control Center-- the brain of the Titan complex.  This was where the orders were received, the target selected, the countdown initiated, the trajectory calculated and "The Button" would ultimately have been pushed.

Looking down the tunnel connecting T.J. #10 to the Control Center.  Note the supports for cable trays at left and the slots through the bulkhead where they once ran.

The silver conduit in the foreground is all post-operational.  Some retired Nike missileers, upon seeing this picture noticed it immediately saying, "What the hell is that?!  That lousy workmanship isn't operational, that's for sure!"

 

Peering into the Control Center's lower level.  IG would not approve.

The lower level was all crew quarters and environmental equipment for the most part, the real "business" of the Titan was conducted upstairs.  We'll get there shortly, but let's see the rest of the downstairs first.

Stepping into the Control Center and looking to the left we see what was once the ready maintenance area which held tools and a small depot of supplies for use in the site: nuts, bolts, light bulbs, wire and other replacement parts etc.

A silo gnome kicks disparagingly at some debris at left.  Note the absence of graffiti in this area.  Not many sites escaped the spray can so completely as this one.

Looking around the corner:

 

The ready maintenance area again.  You can see one of the ancillary consoles which has been dropped from an open hatch in the upper floor.  Closer inspection did not reveal it's purpose but I suspect it was part of the control monitor group or computer punch card system.

 

Further inside the lower level: The airmen ready room is the door to the right and the kitchen is straight ahead.  To the immediate left is the stairwell (not visible) to the upper level and on the right (also not visible) are the electrical and mechanical equipment rooms.

 

The mechanical equipment room held mostly air-handling and monitoring equipment.  Electrical motors were favorites with the salvage contractors (or was it the Air Force?) and they yanked every last one from the mechanical equipment room.  That's where we're headed next.

 

Environmental equipment in the mechanical equipment room.

 

This area has been ransacked like everywhere else leaving a jumble of ductwork and ethylene glycol conduit.  Hmmm.  There's a curious hole in front of that open access panel.  I wonder what it is?

 

I don't think I need to tell you, I didn't explore down there.  It's a sewage lift station!.  Eww...

 

More junk in the mechanical equipment room.  The blue placard in the center of the picture reads: "Oriad Dryer" at the top.  Best guess as to it's purpose was to remove moisture from the miles upon miles of copper tubing that connected compressed air controlled relays used by the HVAC systems and other equipment.

 

Stepping back into the hall, we head to the next room...

 

These doors were brought down from the upper level for some reason.  They didn't fare well in the move from the looks of them.  Without exception, every piece of glass like this in the site has been smashed, sadly.  This is in fact the electrical equipment room.

 

Looking next door in the electrical equipment room, there is a lot of junk left here by contractors that occupied the site after it was closed.

 

A silo gnome picks through debris in the electrical equipment room.  Not much equipment left however.  There is one of the consoles setting at the left side of the picture.

 

The console at left in this picture was once the Launch Control Console.  It has been disassembled and re-utilized by contractors after decommissioning of the site.  Unfortunately the 3 main consoles were never removed and restored as they would have made excellent additions to a museum.

 

The remains of the Launch Control Console.  The panel and buttons are gone and have been replaced with some sort of firing control panel for ballistics testing, which was conducted in the tunnels by a defense contractor after the site's closure.

 

Water has begun to infiltrate this room from the upper level.  Cable drops into the site were simply cut off and left open to the elements.

 

There's lots left to see so click below to continue looking around the Control Center.

 


 

Control Center Cont.

                                        


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