Captain Swoop's Virtual ICBM Tour presents...
"Swing By" the Launch Control Center...

Welcome to "Kilo-Zero" , or LCF K-0 as it is officially designated! So, you decided to stop by the Launch Control Facility (LCF) for a visit! Well, while you wait outside the gate for the Field Security Controller to verify your dispatch identity information, I'll give you a little background information on the place.

  • First, is the name of the place. At the Grand Forks Missile Field, an oddity to the site designations is that all of the LCF's are numbered "Zero", and the respectively controlled silos are numbered 1-10 following that, in a sequence that depends on the order with the squadron. Since there are 5 LCF's and 50 missiles in each sqaudron, an example of the site number designations is like this:

    A-0 (LCF) controls:
    Silos A-1 thru A-10     		B-0 (LCF) controls:
    Silos B-11 thru B-20     		C-0 (LCF) controls:
    Silos C-21 thru C-30

    D-0 (LCF) controls:
    Silos D-31 thru D-40     		E-0 (LCF) controls:
    Silos E-41 thru E-50

    Since all the Alphabetical designations are said using military phonetics, this site, K-0, is known as "Kilo-Zero". All other missile bases uses a slightly differing alphanumeric system, with LCF's designated as the 1st number of the squadron (i.e.; LCF Alpha-One instead of LCF Alpha-Zero); this gives you really odd sequences of silo numbers in the process.

  • LCF's are crewed around the clock by a Flight Security Controller (FSC), Fire/Tiger/ART/SART security personnel, a cook, a site Facilities Manager, and of course, the Launch Crew, or "Capsule Crew" as they are known, underground. Most of the personnel are rotated in and out of the site in 3-day shifts. Three days of cleaning weapons, floors, and garbage cans while waiting for something to happen can get very boring; the only topside person who stays truly busy is the FSC. So, many LCF personnel spend time fixing the place up with special touches: makeshift basketball courts, painted wall murals, trophy cases, and unusual decorations are some examples. One of the best was at LCF D-0. This place was fixed up inside the support building as an Old West ranchhouse, complete with branding irons on the wall, various signs proclaiming "Welcome To Dodge City", and a noose to threaten regulation violators as a joke. The Elevator and Shaft to the underground Launch Control Center were painted to resemble a mine shaft and basket, with gold nuggets sticking out of the shaft wall. They had even worked a site nuisance into the theme: a constant groundwater leak (these sites are old) near the base of the elevator shaft was painted around to look like a small mine tunnel and labeled with wooden sign over it as the "Old Glory Hole". The sound of trickling water combined with the visuals to give a very realistic feel of an old gold mine.

The FSC has just notified us by radio that our indentity information has been verified and we are cleared to enter. Your team member hops out of the truck and rolls the massive gate aside so you can drive in and park the truck, and you instruct your guards to once again guard the classified equipment in the truck. What will you do next?