Titan Missile Museum: A Cold War Relic

The Titan Missile Museum, located just south of Tucson in Green Valley, Arizona, offers a chilling glimpse into the Cold War era. Officially known as Air Force Facility Missile Site 8 or Titan II ICBM Site 571-7, it's the only publicly accessible Titan II missile site remaining of the 54 that were on alert across the United States from 1963 to 1987.Visitors can explore the preserved Titan II missile site, including the eight-level missile silo and the three-level launch center. The guided tour takes you 35 feet underground to the launch control center, where you'll experience a simulated launch of the missile. Descend further down the cableway to level 2 of the missile silo for an up-close view of the deactivated Titan II missile. The museum also features exhibits detailing the history of the Titan II program and the significance of nuclear deterrence during the Cold War.The Titan II was the largest operational land-based nuclear missile ever used by the United States, capable of launching from its underground silo in 58 seconds and delivering a nine-megaton thermonuclear warhead to its target more than 6,000 miles away in less than thirty minutes. The missile on display had to be cut open and left outside under satellite surveillance by the Russians for an entire month before it could be kept as an artifact of the conflict.The museum opened to the public on May 21, 1986, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in April 1994. Parts of the Star Trek movie First Contact were filmed at the museum.