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  • Missile Combat Crews

    Minuteman II combat crews included a commander and deputy commander. These officers underwent extensive training and constant drills to be sure they mastered every aspect of controlling nuclear weapons. While on alert, they maintained constant vigilance, managed maintenance logs and activities and

  • Minuteman Timeline

    1958 -- Department of Defense approves development 1961 -- First successful test flight 1962 -- Minuteman I operational (150 Minuteman 1A and 650 Minuteman 1B deployed in 16 squadrons) 1966 -- Minuteman II operational (450 deployed in nine squadrons) 1969 -- Last Minuteman I replaced by Minuteman

  • Minuteman II Mission Procedures Trainer

    "Ace in the Hole: Minuteman Strategic Missiles"Since 1962, the Minuteman missile system has played an important role in American strategic defense. Highly trained and disciplined U.S. Air Force crews in isolated, heavily protected missile control complexes maintain, secure and operate the system.

  • Moon Rock

     The Apollo 16 mission took place from April 16-27, 1972. The 11-day journey was the fifth mission in which astronauts walked on the moon. U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Charles M. Duke and U.S. Navy Capt. John W. Young flew the lunar module Orion to the moon's surface, while Navy Lt. Cdr. Thomas K.

  • Manned Orbiting Laboratory

    When the Dyna-Soar program was cancelled in December 1963, the Air Force continued its efforts to develop a capability for manned space operations. In the spring of 1964, the USAF began work on the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL), an evolution of the earlier "Blue Gemini" program, which was

  • Minuteman III Second Stage Rocket

    This rocket engine, designed and built by Aerojet, powers the second stage of the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, large numbers of which are currently on constant alert in blast-proof underground silos at various locations in the United States.After a Minuteman III is launched by

  • Martin Marietta SM-68B/LGM-25C Titan II

    Titan II was the longest-serving ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) in the U.S. Air Force strategic arsenal. The SM-68B, developed from the Titan I ICBM, was on operational alert from 1963-1987. For most of its nearly 25 years of operation, Titan II was the largest and most powerful American

  • Martin Marietta SM-68A/HGM-25A Titan I

    Entering operational service in 1962, Titan I was the United States' first multistage ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile). Incorporating the latest design technology, Titan provided an additional nuclear deterrent to complement the U.S. Air Force's Atlas missile. Though the SM-68A was

  • Maj. James Harding: 101 North Vietnam O-1 FAC Missions

    Maj. James Harding had the remarkable and unique achievement of flying 101 missions over North Vietnam in the O-1, a light, single-engine forward air control aircraft. Harding flew a total of 596 combat missions in Southeast Asia, and he was awarded the Air Force Cross while flying an A-1 Skyraider

  • Misty FACs

    Misty FACs (forward air controllers) flew at low altitude, spotting and marking enemy targets in heavily-defended areas in Laos and North Vietnam. This all-volunteer group had a quarter of their number shot down during these extremely hazardous missions. U.S. Air Force FACs normally flew slow,