While paying the admission fee, I learn that the first tour will start at 9:30 am. So I make sure I'm at the designated tour departure location, which is the small theater in which visitors are shown a short movie about the Titan II strategic missile at the very beginning of the tour. I'm quite surprised that I'm the only one waiting for the film to start. This reminds me of my visit at Kitt Peak National Observatory, where I was the only one waiting for the tour, which subsequently was cancelled.

But, unlike at the observatory, the Titan II guided tour starts even if there's only one visitor waiting. So, after learning some vital facts about this facility, my very personal guided tour began. Two guides (yes, two guides for one guest) first explained the scenario at the surface of the launch silo. Since there's usually not much to see at a secret military facility, a refueling the missile situation has been staged which allows the museum to exhibit some military hardware.

Then, we descended to the actual bunker. While entering the underground structure, the visitors learn about the procedures that had to be followed by crews to get in and out. After all, you can't let just anybody walk in and out of a nuclear missile launch site.

After passing the blast-proof doors, we entered the command center. Here, the museum guides reenact the launch sequence of the missile. Fortunately, this never had to be done while there was a live nuclear warhead sitting on top of the missile, waiting to destroy one of three targets. Since I was the only visitor, it was up to me to launch the missile. Even though you know that it's basically just a show, it's kind of a strange feeling to actually sit in the commander's chair and press the buttons that once could kill thousands of people. After all, this is not a reconstructed set, it's the actual facility with all the real technology.

Finally, the tour takes the visitors (or, in my case, just me) to the silo. Thank God, the missile that I've just launched is still sitting in its place. In accordance with the surface scenario of refueling the missile, there are two dummies placed in the silo, wearing heavy chemical-proof suits, handling the flexible fuel pipeline. The silo and the missile look kind of familiar, since this is where parts of Star Trek: First Contact have been filmed.

That concludes the tour, and the whole group - me and both my guides - return to the surface, where the next visitors are just about to enter the bunker. It's a group of at least 15 to 20 people - I guess it was a good idea to arrive just in time for the very first tour of the day. My pictures of the Titan II Missile Museum