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The Atlas was the first intercontinental-range ballistic missile (ICBM) in the US nuclear arsenal. This collection consists of 120 black and white photographs showing various aspects of the construction of the Atlas missile installation at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas. In addition, the collection contains three pages of drawings showing typical equipment for launcher platforms and missile silos.
The Atlas was the first intercontinental-range ballistic missile (ICBM) in the US nuclear arsenal. Deployed beginning in August 1959, the Atlas was designed to carry a 1-megaton thermonuclear warhead to targets up to 5,500 miles (8,850 kilometers) away, using either radio-inertial or all-inertial guidance. The Atlas was also used as a booster to launch US manned Mercury capsules into orbit in the 1960s. In the early 1960s, an installation was built at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas as part of the Atlas Missile Project. Major Charles William Moore, USAF, was the project manager for the Site Activation Task Force and his unit received an award for completing the construction on time and under budget.
NASM.2010.0003
1960-1961
Jennifer Leigh, Gift, 2009, NASM.2010.0003
0.05 Cubic feet (1 folder)
National Air and Space Museum Archives
This collection consists of 120 black and white photographs, ranging in size from 3.5 x 5 inches to 8 x 10 inches, showing various aspects of the construction of the Atlas missile installation at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas. All the photographs are marked with the date and some caption information. In addition, the collection contains three pages of drawings showing typical equipment for launcher platforms and missile silos.
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Atlas Missile Project Site Construction Photographs, NASM.2010.0003, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Ballistic missiles
Astronautics
Atlas ICBM
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Drawings