After our great stay in the Tucson area and taking in some of the main points of interest, we made our way south toward Green Valley for another stay at Desert Diamond Casino. On our way, we stopped at the Copper Mine Museum and the Titan Missile Museum. It is the only missile silo that is still in existence and is kept as a national historic site and one-of-a-kind museum gives visitors a rare look at the technology used by the United States to deter nuclear war. Very interesting tour.
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| Cooper Mine Visitor Centre |
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| A tour of the open cooper pit mine was offered, but it was booked at the time we were there. |
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| Raw cooper ore |
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| Cooper and metal art work |
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| Mining museum |
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| That's some long step up. Ready for a ride Owen? |
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| Making our way underground to tour the control centre and the missile silo. |
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| Very tight security at the time. Two massive doors to gain entry. |
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| Explaining the security measures that were in place before the button to launch the missile could take place. |
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| Radio communication and launch equipment. The secretive launch codes were kept in the red safe. |
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| What a responsibility to have, with world destruction at your fingertips in the launch control centre. |
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| Safety gear |
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| Tunnel leading to the missile silo from the control room |
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| All precautions against earthquakes were taken. |
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| Titan II missile in silo. It was the largest nuclear missile built by the US. |
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| During the Cold War, 54 Titan II missiles stood alert in underground silos at three locations across the country. In 1987, the last Titan II was deactivated. This is the only site that remains. |
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| Explanation of the propulsion system |
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| Looking down into the silo |
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| Security measures on the surface. |
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| Very innocent looking above ground |
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| Our next two overnights site |
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| Another level and quiet spot |
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