Tour An Abandoned Atlas F Missile Silo in Kansas

Ever wondered what it’s like inside a missile silo? Well, you can find out in Kansas! At Atlas Ad Astra Adventure Resort near Wilson, KS, you can tour an Atlas F missile silo, its underground launch center, and the aboveground infrastructure. It’s definitely one for the bucket list.

And if you really want to immerse yourself in the experience, you can camp on the property or stay overnight inside the missile silo in the fully furnished Airbnb. While I didn’t stay overnight, I did take a tour of the decommissioned missile silo, and it was a one-of-a-kind experience. Tours are led by the owner, Matthew Fulkerson, who is incredibly knowledgeable and shares his insights in the most fascinating way.

Why Was the Atlas F Missile Silo Base Built?

The Atlas missile program kicked off because of the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik. These bases were built to prevent nuclear war, not to start one. The Atlas rockets were America’s first intercontinental ballistic missiles, able to travel 5,500 miles and carry a warhead 300 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

They started building this Atlas F base in 1959 and finished in 1961. It was a top-secret underground Air Force base until 1965, when it became outdated because of the Titan missile. The Atlas base had a vertical silo that went 176 feet underground, big blast doors and an elevator that lifted the rocket to the surface for fueling and launching. (The new Titan had a sliding blast door and could be launched right from inside the silo.)

The rebar was over three inches thick, surrounded by concrete mixed with a special epoxy resin, making the structure flexible and strong enough to withstand an explosion. The concrete on the surface was nine feet thick, and the blast doors were three feet thick and weighed 675 tons.

Interestingly, the tech used in these missile bases was later repurposed for space exploration, helping to send astronauts into orbit and set up global communication networks. Through research, Matthew discovered that the rocket once stored here was later used to launch a NOAA satellite for weather monitoring.

Above Ground Tour

When the government decommissioned and abandoned this site, it left behind many of the above-ground structures, and Matthew started our tour outdoors while explaining the original purposes of these remnants.

The antenna pit (below) extended 30 feet underground, housing a telescopic antenna as a backup in case the main one was compromised. The blast door would open when needed, allowing the antenna to extend and maintain communication with Strategic Air Command in Salina, Kansas.

The escape hatch (below) was a backup if the main entry was blocked. It was originally filled with four tons of sand between the top of the Launch Control Center and the surface, protecting against explosion overpressure.

Inside, a pull handle (I’ll talk about that later) opened the doors, dropping the sand in an hourglass fashion and allowing the missileers to climb the ladder to the surface. In case an extreme explosion melted the sand into glass, there was a special hammer to break their way out.

Underground Tour

Next it was time to go underground and explore the missile silo itself!

Our first stop was at the entrapment room door. Back when the missile silo was active, you’d press a button to unlock the door with electronic locks. Once inside, you’d close the door, pick up a phone, look into a camera, and say your access code. If you said the right code, the next door would open. If you said the wrong code, you’d be trapped until military police arrived.

The entrapment room also functioned as an airlock to keep contaminated air out.

Next, we turned a few corners and stopped at the blast doors. Matthew pointed out that the turns were engineered so that if an explosive force came down the stairwell, it would lose some of its energy by the time it reached the blast doors. Only one blast door could be opened at a time.

Next, we visited the ready room, where the missileers lived and worked. Their bunks, kitchen, dining area, shower, and toilets were all on the upper level of the Launch Control Center.

Matthew showed us how the floor is separated from the walls. Originally, it was suspended from the ceiling at four points, with air shocks stabilizing the floating floor to keep it level during an explosion. All electrical conduits were flexible, and even the lights were mounted on springs.

Our tour then took us downstairs to the Launch Control Room, where we saw the original desk used by the missileers. Though gutted, it was still impressive to see.

We also checked out the red box containing the launch codes. Two missileers had to work together to open it, each using their own unique combination lock to access the codes.

Next, we walked through a tunnel toward the missile silo. The tunnel walls had trays for running wires and tubes for bringing in fresh air. The grates on the floor were there to drain the dripping condensation.

We passed through three blast doors built to protect against an internal rocket explosion.

And voilà, we finally arrived inside the missile silo! Looking up, we could see the first blast doors where our underground tour began.

Looking down, we could spot the springs supporting the “floating” floors. Matthew also pointed out the celestial chamber mounted on the wall below one of the springs. A tube extends from the chamber to the surface, aligning the missile’s navigational system with the North Star.

The chamber overlooks an 80-foot drop to approximately 1.3 million gallons of water. When the government decommissioned the base, a salvage team removed all infrastructure and filled it with about 70 feet of water. They left the doors open so if any spy satellites passed overhead, they could see the water’s reflection and know the site wasn’t active.

Overall Thoughts

Our tour lasted about 1½ hours, split between outdoor and indoor exploration, and it was captivating from beginning to end. It’s surreal that a real Cold War missile was housed here. Even if you’re not typically into military history, this experience is truly unique. I highly recommend taking the tour if you enjoy offbeat adventures.

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