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| Science & Technology |
| End of an Era: Last Titan IV Rocket Launched |
| 2005-10-21 |
| VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - For the 368th and last time, the United States launched a Titan rocket into space Wednesday. The blastoff of the 16-story, unmanned Titan 4 signaled the end of an era that began in 1959, as the U.S. military converts to cheaper space boosters. The last Titan carried a secret payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, which oversees the nation’s spy satellites... However, you can still see the last remaining (dummy) Titan II ICBM, in its silo, at the Titan II Missile Museum South of Tucson. A most unique historical tour. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #7 An irony surrounds the Titan II Missile Museum, in that it is near the San Xavier del Bac mission, a 400-year-old Catholic church and school catering to the Yaqui indians. It is the most photographed building in Arizona, and has an air of humble simplicity and peace. Juxtaposed with an edifice whose very purpose was to enable what could have been part of apocalyptic destruction in the world. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-10-21 20:50 |
| #6 Hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, a witches brew if there ever was one. Hey! Who opened the Alpo? Rosebud |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-10-21 13:00 |
| #5 "Is that a Titan IV in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" "Not much on current events, are ya? I like that in my wymyns... Did ya hear about the new law? It sez you hafta..." |
| Posted by: .com 2005-10-21 09:15 |
| #4 I used to work on the tv cameras monitoring the entry port on the Titan silos around Wichita. The "re-entry vechicle" on top didn't bother me, but the fuels scared the crap out of me. Hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, a witches brew if there ever was one. They gave us a briefing on them before we could go out to the sights that included a description on what they smelled like. But the closer was; "..if they reach a high enough consentation that you can smell them, your eyes will melt and your lungs turn to water..". Boy, I was glad to leave that assignment. |
| Posted by: Steve 2005-10-21 09:14 |
| #3 History was made by this launch system. Now we have moved on. As a real "rocket scientist" who worked a Vandenburg once told me. "Unlike NASA we only blow them up on purpose" It took me a while to stop laughing my ass off but it was pretty much the truth. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet O´ Doom 2005-10-21 01:30 |
| #2 That's not a dummy Titan in the museum. It's a genuine Titan II, number 10(?) off the production line. I was used as a training missile, so was never fueled, but it's the real thing (though it now has holes cut in it and obviously doesn't have a warhead). I was a tour guide there for a year. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-10-21 00:35 |
| #1 Never say forever, as the TITAN is just so powerful and capable a lift platform despite its age. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2005-10-21 00:18 |