Captain Swoop's Virtual ICBM Tour presents...
MISSILE MOVIES

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Silo Test - 166 K

Prototype Silo Test

During the initial development of the Minuteman Missile program, partial silos were constructed and used for launch of MM I Missiles at Edwards AFB, CA, for the purpose of finding any defects or design flaws in the missile and silo that might surface in the harsh launch environment.

This scene, a favorite of Hollywood's and overused in "end-of-the-world" movies, shows an overhead view of the silo, with an excellent shot of the silo door, or Launcher Closure Door. Note the wall of sandbags to catch the silo door when it flies open; at a normal Launch Facility, the sandbags are not present, and the Closure Door flies off into the adjoining farm field. Test Launch silos at Vandenburg AFB are equipped with a pit area in front of the door, containing huge shock absorbers to catch the door when it is blasted clear.