Day 5: A Picture of Somewhere I've Been

 Originally the site of the observatory was the command and control center for the Titan II missile silos that were once situated around Tucson, Arizona. It was later used by as a radar base of the North American Aerospace Defense Command. There is a radar tower near the left center of the photo which was used to track launches from the White Sands, New Mexico and Vandenburg Air Force Base in California. It now stands empty.

Days gone by, for sure.  Let's see if I can remember anything about this place, and my time there.  

1978-1979 "we", the missile pneudraulic shop at the 390th MIMS supported the missile mission by providing periodic maintenance to the antennae on the mountain.  The antennae themselves were housed in small bunker/silos that were "hard-sealed" against attack.  The idea was, that after a nuclear attack, in order to stay operative, the antennae would pop up out of the ground/silo, and continue providing communication for the missiles and their crews in the area.   Pneudraulics would go up onto the mountain, about once every six months/so, and cycle the antennae so as to assure the operational status.  I mean, you wanted to make sure those suckers worked when we got into it with the Russians...right?!?! LOL

So, that's what we did on the mountain, and that's where I learned to love the area.   During July one year, it was 113 degrees on the flight-line at Davis-Monthan AFB...and our shop was dead up against the flight line.  That day, it was 76 degrees for a high, up on the mountain!  I become an instant fan!! 

What's not to love, eh!??! LOL

So, there's Day Five, KellyDoneLostHerMind.   xo, Dani