The Titan Missile Museum, also known as Air Force Facility Missile Site 8 or as Titan II ICBM Site 571-7, is a former ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) site located about south of Tucson, Arizona in the United States. It was constructed in 1963 and deactivated in 1984. The museum is run by the nonprofit Arizona Aerospace Foundation and includes an inert Titan II missile in the silo, as well as the original launch facilities.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1994. It is one of only two Titan II complexes to survive from the late Cold War period, the other being 571-3.
It remains as the only location in the country where visitors can view an entirely preserved ICBM.
Underground facilities
The underground facilities consist of a three-level Launch Control Center, the eight level silo containing the missile and its related equipment, and the connecting structures of cableways (access tunnels), blast locks, and the access portal and equipment elevator. The complex was built of steel reinforced concrete with walls as much as in some areas, and a number of 3-ton blast doors sealed the various areas from the surface and each other. Visitors are able to view the missile up close on level two of the silo on guided tours and from the surface above the silo. The remaining levels of the silo are not accessible during tours.
Titan II missile
The Titan II missile inside the silo has neither warhead nor fuel, allowing it to be safely displayed to visitors. In accordance with a US/USSR agreement, the silo doors are permanently blocked from opening more than half way. The dummy reentry vehicle mounted on the missile has a prominent hole cut in it to prove it is inert. All the support facilities at the site remain intact, complete with all of their original equipment.