Inside a top-secret training simulator where Air Force crews learned how to launch nuclear missiles during the Cold War

"How does one prepare for such a scenario? The same way you get to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice. During the Cold War, the Air Force built exact replicas of Launch Control Centers where crew members could train for launching the first intercontinental ballistic missiles. One of these simulators, a Minuteman II missile procedures trainer, is displayed at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio."

"The Missile Gallery at the National Museum of the US Air Force displays intercontinental ballistic missiles and related historical artifacts. The museum's collection includes Minuteman IA and III, Titan I and II, Jupiter, and Thor missiles, which served as nuclear deterrents at various points in US history. The 140-foot-tall gallery, designed to look like a missile silo, features a balcony walkway to view the enormous missiles from above. Standing at ground level showed me just how enormous they are."

Missileers in the US Air Force remain on constant alert to launch nuclear missiles quickly. The Air Force built exact replicas of Launch Control Centers to train crews for intercontinental ballistic missile launches. A Minuteman II missile procedures trainer is preserved at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Similar procedural simulators continue to be used to prepare missileers for rapid launch procedures. The Missile Gallery houses Minuteman IA and III, Titan I and II, Jupiter, and Thor missiles and features a 140-foot-tall, silo-like space with a balcony walkway to convey the scale of the missiles.

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