While the Launch Facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base, near Lompoc, California host virtually all the Minuteman's launch activities, they are by no means the only place to ever hear the thunder of the rocket motors pushing skyward. Because of R&D testing for proposed systems, launches have also taken place elsewhere:

Cape Canaveral, Florida A few launches of Minuteman have taken place at the Cape, normally the domain of NASA space launches. The Facility is also a US Air Force base, however, and a contingent of personnel at nearby Patrick Air Force Base are missile technicians, as well. Launches done at the base have been for prototype systems tests during the development stage of the program, from Launch Complex 31 and 32.

Wallops Island, Virginia Unknown to many, Wallops Island has launched quite a few Minuteman missiles, and will no doubt launch more in the future. Again, launches here are often done to test prototype equipment - not always on the missile, however. For instance, many of the latest launches have been of mothballed Minuteman II missiles for the US Army -- to test missile tracking and defense systems such as Theater Missile, National Missile Defense, and its predecessor, the "Star Wars" program.

Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota This has got to be the most unusual launch, under the "what if..?" heading. In a somewhat paranoid bid to make absolutely sure that all of the Minuteman systems would function together sucessfully, a launch from an operational silo and Control Center was suggested. There were a few difficulties with this idea, not the least of which were concerns that the Soviets might see the launch and determine it to be hostile. Eventually, a Minuteman 2 silo in the missile field controlled by Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, South Dakota, was decided upon for the operation, code-named "Longlife". To prevent possible safety and security complications from the launch, a modified missile with only a single operational stage was used. The fuel in Stage one was limited to a seven second burn, and the Missile flew about 2 miles before dropping back to earth.

An Atlas Missile Site? Atlas Launch Facility A-3 at Vandenberg AFB, CA has a special place in the ICBM History logs. Sites A-1,A-2,and A-3 were the very first ICBM sites on alert in the world. They got some very special notice from the Soviet head of state, who took a train ride right past them on the way to a much-publicized trip to Disneyland. As he passed, he asked the Presidential aide accompanying him if those were nuclear missiles; he was informed that they were indeed, and they were targeted for Moscow! The site was eventually deactivated as hardened silos were built for missile systems around the country. Eventually it was used for many other launches as a test stand, including some Minuteman missiles being tried with prototype systems. Click on the pictures for a better view.

Out Of An Aircraft! Unknown, or almost forgotten by many people, even those involved with the Minuteman Program, is the fact that the original deployment plan for the missile system was as a MOBILE Missile. The primary focus of the mobile launcher was to base it on railcars, a concept later revived with the Rail Garrison program, and again discarded, both times for engineering and security difficulties. Still the ground based system had shortcomings with range and survivability, not to mention suprise, since the silo locations were well known. So many ideas were explored as an alternative deployment for Minuteman - and the Air Mobile Feasibility Test in October of 1974 was one of the strangest - though to it's credit, it was a complete success. The misile was air-dropped from the rear of a C-5A Galaxy (the only plane capable of managing the weight), steadied by parachute into a veritcal attitude, then "launched" by the test crew aboard the aircraft by remote signal.Click on the picture for a better view of the test pictures.