At the dawn of the new millennium, personal messages were sent to the stars and beyond - beamed into deep space by one of the earth's brightest lasers from Roswell, New Mexico . . .
The former Atlas-F nuclear missile silo which housed The Starlite is located approximately twenty miles west of Roswell on Highway 380. The site is a few hundred yards off of the highway. This is the road leading to the silo as it appeared at the time of the initial site survey. The road has been re-surfaced. Fencing and lighting have been installed. The site was open to the public and the launch of Starlite messages was featured on national television. Future plans call for converting the silo to a cold war museum.
The Atlas F missile system was built in 1960, and after a short operational period, was decommissioned in 1965. These sites were the first of the "super hardened" missile silos, built to withstand a 200 pound per square inch blast.
Fortified entry leading underground to the Launch Control Complex and the missile silo. Giant interlocking blast doors protected the LCC. An escape hatch provided for an emergency exit out of the launch control center for the launch crew.
This is the view looking up at the underside of one of the launch doors. Note that the hydraulic actuators were removed when the silo was sealed. This is a view looking up from the bottom of the silo with the missile raised to the surface on the launch elevator. (Taken while the silo was in operation.)
