Cheyenne Mountain
Encyclopedia
Cheyenne Mountain is a mountain located just outside the southwest side of Colorado Springs
, Colorado
, U.S.
, and is home to the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station and its Cheyenne Mountain Directorate, formerly known as the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center (CMOC).
Throughout the Cold War
and continuing to this day, the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center and the Cheyenne Mountain Directorate collect data from a worldwide system of satellites, radar
, and other sensors and process that information in real time. Operations are conducted year-round in the Air Warning Center, Missile Correlation Center, Operational Intelligence Watch, Systems Center, Weather Center, and the Command Center.
While the functions of the Space Control Center have moved to Vandenberg Air Force Base
, and there are plans to move remaining operations to nearby Peterson Air Force Base
, NORAD continues to conduct day-to-day operations in Cheyenne Mountain, and, with the final move to Peterson Air Force Base, will maintain the Cheyenne Mountain Directorate for use in the event of an emergency.
The design of this facility makes it one of the most unusual installations in the world. Apart from the fact that it is housed 2,000 feet (600 m) into the mountain, it is also notable in that it is a joint and binational military organization comprising over 200 men and women from the Army
, Navy
, Marine Corps
, Air Force
, Coast Guard
, and Canadian Forces
.
The mountain is also home to several civilian facilities, including the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
and the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun
.
, commander of the Continental Air Defense Command, proposed construction of a new underground combat operations center to replace the outgrown and vulnerable above-ground facility at Ent Air Force Base
, Colorado
.
The launch of Sputnik I, the world's first artificial satellite
, on October 4, 1957, demonstrated not only the accomplishments of the Soviet Union
's space program, but also the capability to launch nuclear warheads from one continent to another. In response, the North American Aerospace Defense Command
(NORAD) was established on May 12, 1958.
The Department of Defense
started researching potential sites, and determined that Cheyenne Mountain was an ideal site, due to its location in the center of the continent, lack of earthquake
activity, and proximity to the United States Air Force Academy
and Fort Carson, Colorado
. The fact that Cheyennes peak is 4,550 feet lower than the nearby Pikes Peak cemented the deal with the expectation that foreign missiles would likely target the taller nearby mountain. Excavation for the facility began in May 1961, and was completed three years later in May 1964. The NORAD Combat Operations Center became operational on February 6, 1966, and operations were transferred from Ent Air Force Base
on April 20, 1966.
The original requirement for an operations center in Cheyenne Mountain was to provide command and control in support of the air defense mission against the Soviet bomber threat, but several events and emerging technologies drove this mission to evolve beyond those initial needs.
The development of the intercontinental ballistic missile
(ICBM) in the 1960s presented a new threat, and evolved into missile warning and air sovereignty missions taking precedence in the 1960s and 70s. For a brief period in the mid-1970s, the Ballistic Missile Defense Center operated within the Mountain.
Faced with the threat of ballistic attack, and with the advent of larger computer processing capabilities, NORAD developed a series of warning and assessment systems that resulted in the launch of the 427M in 1979. Then, NORAD and the Air Defense Command jointly developed individual acquisition programs that were supposed to resolve operational and sustainment problems.
The Air Force continued to modernize into the 1980s, and had commissioned five acquisition programs to be completed by 1987 at a cost of $968 million. However, it was soon determined that a consolidated upgrade would be much more effective, and the Air Force initiated the Cheyenne Mountain Upgrade (CMU) program in 1989.
CMU contained several major subsystems: Granite Sentry, the Communications System Segment Replacement (CSSR), the Survivable Communications Integration System
(SCIS), the Space Defense Operations Center 4, and the Command and Control Processing and Display System Replacement (CCPDS-R). The Air Force also maintained the Alternate Missile Warning Center at Offutt Air Force Base
as a fully functional backup program.
After continual delays and escalating costs, the CMU program was determined to be eight years behind schedule and $792 million over budget as of 1994. The initial versions of CMU's subsystems turned out to be unreliable and unresponsive to users' needs, and actually operated parallel to the systems that they were supposed to replace.
Into the 1990s, the Operations Center provided theater ballistic missile warnings during Operation Desert Storm, when Defense Support Program
(DSP) satellites looked for the heat from missile and booster plumes and provided warning to civilians and troops in Israel and Saudi Arabia.
In the ensuing years, Cheyenne Mountain became home to elements of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the U.S. Strategic Command, the U.S. Air Force Space Command, and the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). Eight centers supported the NORAD missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control and provided warning of ballistic missile or air attacks against North America.
In 2006, NORAD chose to move the bulk of Cheyenne Mountain's operations to nearby Peterson Air Force Base
in order to reduce duplication of function between the two sites. On July 28, 2006, NORAD renamed the facility as the Cheyenne Mountain Directorate, and placed the operations center on "warm stand-by," meaning that the facility will be maintained and ready for use on short notice as necessary, but not used on a daily basis.
The Operations Center itself lies along one side of a main tunnel bored almost a mile through the solid granite heart of the mountain. The tunnel is designed to route the worst of a blast's shock wave out the other end, past the two 25-ton blast doors that mark one wall. The center was designed to withstand up to a 30 megaton blast within 1 nautical miles (1.9 km).
The underground Combat Operations Center (COC) was originally intended to provide a 70% probability of continuing to function if a five-megaton
nuclear weapon
detonated three miles (5.6 km) away, but was ultimately built to withstand a multimegaton blast within 1.5 nmi (2.8 km; 1.7 mi). It was also designed to be self-sufficient for brief periods, have backup communications and television intercom with related commands, house personnel during an emergency, and protect staff against fallout and biological and chemical warfare.
The main entrance to the complex is about one-third of a mile (540 m) from the North Portal via a tunnel which leads to a pair of 25-ton steel blast doors. Behind them is a steel building complex built within a 4.5 acres (18,210.9 m²) grid of excavated chambers and tunnels and surrounded by 2,000 feet (600 m) of granite
. The main excavation consists of three chambers 45 feet (15 m) wide, 60 feet (20 m) high, and 588 feet (180 m) long, intersected by four chambers 32 feet (10 m) wide, 56 feet (17 m) high and 335 feet (100 m) long. Fifteen buildings, freestanding without contact with the rock walls or roofs and joined by flexible vestibule connections, make up the inner complex. Twelve of these buildings are three stories tall; the others are one and two stories.
The outer shells of the buildings are made of three-eighths-inch (9.5 mm) continuously welded low carbon steel plates which are supported by structural steel frames. Metal walls and tunnels serve to attenuate electromagnetic pulse
(EMP). Metal doors at each building entrance serve as fire doors to help contain fire and smoke. Emphasis on the design of the structure is predicated on the effects of nuclear weapons; however, building design also makes it possible for the complex to absorb the shock of earthquake
s. During a nuclear explosion, powerful springs that support the complex can absorb much of the energy.
Blast valve
s, installed in reinforced concrete bulkhead
s, have been placed in the exhaust and air intake supply, as well as water, fuel, and sewer lines. Sensors at the North and South Portal entrances will detect overpressure waves from a nuclear explosion
, causing the valves to close and protect the complex. The buildings in the complex are mounted on 1,319 steel springs, each weighing about 1,000 pounds (450 kg). The springs allow the complex to move 12 inches (30 cm) in any one direction. To make the complex self-sufficient, adequate space in the complex is devoted to support functions. A dining facility, medical facility with dental office, pharmacy and a two-bed ward; two physical fitness centers with exercise equipment
and sauna; a small base exchange and barber shop are all located within the complex.
Electricity comes primarily from the city of Colorado Springs, with six 1,750 kilowatt diesel generators for backup
.
Water for the complex comes from an underground supply inside Cheyenne Mountain, deposited into four excavated reservoirs with a capacity of 1.5 million U.S. gallons (6,000 m³) of water. Three serve as industrial reservoirs and the remaining one is the complex's primary domestic water source. They are so large that workers sometimes cross them in rowboats. About 30,000 to 120,000 U.S. gallons (110 to 450 m³) are actually retained at any given time.
Incoming air may be filtered through a system of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear filters to remove harmful pathogens and/or radioactive and chemical particles. The fresh air intake is mainly from the south portal access which is 17.5 feet (5.3 m) high and 15 feet (4.6 m) wide and linked to the north portal access which is 22.5 feet (7 m) high and 29 feet (9 m) wide. The entire tunnel from north to south entry portals is nine-tenths of a mile (1.5 km) long.
The NORAD command center has been modernized several times over the years. The original equipment resembled Mission Control for NASA's Project Apollo
in the 1960s-1970s and used similar Philco-Ford consoles and display systems. The current (2005) version, with ordinary desks and flat-screen displays, looks rather ordinary by comparison and resembles NASA's current (2000s) mission control.
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and is home to the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station and its Cheyenne Mountain Directorate, formerly known as the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center (CMOC).
Throughout the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and continuing to this day, the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center and the Cheyenne Mountain Directorate collect data from a worldwide system of satellites, radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
, and other sensors and process that information in real time. Operations are conducted year-round in the Air Warning Center, Missile Correlation Center, Operational Intelligence Watch, Systems Center, Weather Center, and the Command Center.
While the functions of the Space Control Center have moved to Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
, and there are plans to move remaining operations to nearby Peterson Air Force Base
Peterson Air Force Base
Peterson Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force located at Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States and it provides runways for the adjacent City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport under a shared joint civil-military airport arrangement...
, NORAD continues to conduct day-to-day operations in Cheyenne Mountain, and, with the final move to Peterson Air Force Base, will maintain the Cheyenne Mountain Directorate for use in the event of an emergency.
The design of this facility makes it one of the most unusual installations in the world. Apart from the fact that it is housed 2,000 feet (600 m) into the mountain, it is also notable in that it is a joint and binational military organization comprising over 200 men and women from the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
, and Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
.
The mountain is also home to several civilian facilities, including the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is a mountainside zoo, located southwest of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado on Cheyenne Mountain in the United States at an elevation of above sea level. The Zoo sits on out of a footprint. It is located west of the Broadmoor Hotel Resort along the slopes of Cheyenne...
and the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun
Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun
Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, also known as Will Rogers Shrine or 5EP2175, is the tomb which holds the ashes of Spencer Penrose , a philanthropist who contributed many of the most prominent landmarks in Colorado Springs, including the neighboring Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the Broadmoor Hotel...
.
History
The Cheyenne Mountain complex traces its origins to 1956, when General Earle E. PartridgeEarle E. Partridge
Earle Everard "Pat" Partridge was an United States Air Force general.Partridge enlisted in the United States Army in July 1918 at Fort Slocum, New York, and was assigned to the 5th Engineer Training Regiment...
, commander of the Continental Air Defense Command, proposed construction of a new underground combat operations center to replace the outgrown and vulnerable above-ground facility at Ent Air Force Base
Ent Air Force Base
Ent Air Force Base was a United States Air Force facility opened in 1951 on the site of a closed sanatorium in conjunction with the move of the United States Air Force's Air Defense Command, later Aerospace Defense Command , to Colorado Springs, Colorado...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
The launch of Sputnik I, the world's first artificial satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
, on October 4, 1957, demonstrated not only the accomplishments of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's space program, but also the capability to launch nuclear warheads from one continent to another. In response, the North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command is a joint organization of Canada and the United States that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the two countries. Headquarters NORAD is located at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado...
(NORAD) was established on May 12, 1958.
The Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
started researching potential sites, and determined that Cheyenne Mountain was an ideal site, due to its location in the center of the continent, lack of earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
activity, and proximity to the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
and Fort Carson, Colorado
Fort Carson, Colorado
Fort Carson is a United States Army installation located near Colorado Springs, primarily in El Paso County, Colorado. It is north of Pueblo, Colorado in Pueblo County. The 137,000 acre installation extends south into Pueblo and Fremont counties...
. The fact that Cheyennes peak is 4,550 feet lower than the nearby Pikes Peak cemented the deal with the expectation that foreign missiles would likely target the taller nearby mountain. Excavation for the facility began in May 1961, and was completed three years later in May 1964. The NORAD Combat Operations Center became operational on February 6, 1966, and operations were transferred from Ent Air Force Base
Ent Air Force Base
Ent Air Force Base was a United States Air Force facility opened in 1951 on the site of a closed sanatorium in conjunction with the move of the United States Air Force's Air Defense Command, later Aerospace Defense Command , to Colorado Springs, Colorado...
on April 20, 1966.
The development of the intercontinental ballistic missile
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
(ICBM) in the 1960s presented a new threat, and evolved into missile warning and air sovereignty missions taking precedence in the 1960s and 70s. For a brief period in the mid-1970s, the Ballistic Missile Defense Center operated within the Mountain.
Faced with the threat of ballistic attack, and with the advent of larger computer processing capabilities, NORAD developed a series of warning and assessment systems that resulted in the launch of the 427M in 1979. Then, NORAD and the Air Defense Command jointly developed individual acquisition programs that were supposed to resolve operational and sustainment problems.
CMU contained several major subsystems: Granite Sentry, the Communications System Segment Replacement (CSSR), the Survivable Communications Integration System
Survivable Communications Integration System
The Survivable Communications Integration System was the replacement missile early warning communication system. SCIS was a program replacement awarded in the 1980s...
(SCIS), the Space Defense Operations Center 4, and the Command and Control Processing and Display System Replacement (CCPDS-R). The Air Force also maintained the Alternate Missile Warning Center at Offutt Air Force Base
Offutt Air Force Base
Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force installation near Omaha, and lies adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S...
as a fully functional backup program.
After continual delays and escalating costs, the CMU program was determined to be eight years behind schedule and $792 million over budget as of 1994. The initial versions of CMU's subsystems turned out to be unreliable and unresponsive to users' needs, and actually operated parallel to the systems that they were supposed to replace.
Into the 1990s, the Operations Center provided theater ballistic missile warnings during Operation Desert Storm, when Defense Support Program
Defense Support Program
The Defense Support Program is a program of the U.S. Air Force that operates the reconnaissance satellites which form the principal component of the Satellite Early Warning System currently used by the United States....
(DSP) satellites looked for the heat from missile and booster plumes and provided warning to civilians and troops in Israel and Saudi Arabia.
In the ensuing years, Cheyenne Mountain became home to elements of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the U.S. Strategic Command, the U.S. Air Force Space Command, and the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). Eight centers supported the NORAD missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control and provided warning of ballistic missile or air attacks against North America.
In 2006, NORAD chose to move the bulk of Cheyenne Mountain's operations to nearby Peterson Air Force Base
Peterson Air Force Base
Peterson Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force located at Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States and it provides runways for the adjacent City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport under a shared joint civil-military airport arrangement...
in order to reduce duplication of function between the two sites. On July 28, 2006, NORAD renamed the facility as the Cheyenne Mountain Directorate, and placed the operations center on "warm stand-by," meaning that the facility will be maintained and ready for use on short notice as necessary, but not used on a daily basis.
Design
The underground Combat Operations Center (COC) was originally intended to provide a 70% probability of continuing to function if a five-megaton
TNT equivalent
TNT equivalent is a method of quantifying the energy released in explosions. The ton of TNT is a unit of energy equal to 4.184 gigajoules, which is approximately the amount of energy released in the detonation of one ton of TNT...
nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
detonated three miles (5.6 km) away, but was ultimately built to withstand a multimegaton blast within 1.5 nmi (2.8 km; 1.7 mi). It was also designed to be self-sufficient for brief periods, have backup communications and television intercom with related commands, house personnel during an emergency, and protect staff against fallout and biological and chemical warfare.
The main entrance to the complex is about one-third of a mile (540 m) from the North Portal via a tunnel which leads to a pair of 25-ton steel blast doors. Behind them is a steel building complex built within a 4.5 acres (18,210.9 m²) grid of excavated chambers and tunnels and surrounded by 2,000 feet (600 m) of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
. The main excavation consists of three chambers 45 feet (15 m) wide, 60 feet (20 m) high, and 588 feet (180 m) long, intersected by four chambers 32 feet (10 m) wide, 56 feet (17 m) high and 335 feet (100 m) long. Fifteen buildings, freestanding without contact with the rock walls or roofs and joined by flexible vestibule connections, make up the inner complex. Twelve of these buildings are three stories tall; the others are one and two stories.
The outer shells of the buildings are made of three-eighths-inch (9.5 mm) continuously welded low carbon steel plates which are supported by structural steel frames. Metal walls and tunnels serve to attenuate electromagnetic pulse
Electromagnetic pulse
An electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic radiation. The abrupt pulse of electromagnetic radiation usually results from certain types of high energy explosions, especially a nuclear explosion, or from a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field...
(EMP). Metal doors at each building entrance serve as fire doors to help contain fire and smoke. Emphasis on the design of the structure is predicated on the effects of nuclear weapons; however, building design also makes it possible for the complex to absorb the shock of earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s. During a nuclear explosion, powerful springs that support the complex can absorb much of the energy.
Blast valve
A blast valve is used to protect a shelter, such as a fallout shelter or bunker, from the effects of sudden outside air pressure changes. A nuclear weapon creates a shock wave, which may produce sudden pressure changes of more than an atmosphere even several miles or kilometers from the detonation...
s, installed in reinforced concrete bulkhead
Bulkhead (partition)
A bulkhead is an upright wall within the hull of a ship or within the fuselage of an airplane. Other kinds of partition elements within a ship are decks and deckheads.-Etymology:...
s, have been placed in the exhaust and air intake supply, as well as water, fuel, and sewer lines. Sensors at the North and South Portal entrances will detect overpressure waves from a nuclear explosion
Nuclear explosion
A nuclear explosion occurs as a result of the rapid release of energy from an intentionally high-speed nuclear reaction. The driving reaction may be nuclear fission, nuclear fusion or a multistage cascading combination of the two, though to date all fusion based weapons have used a fission device...
, causing the valves to close and protect the complex. The buildings in the complex are mounted on 1,319 steel springs, each weighing about 1,000 pounds (450 kg). The springs allow the complex to move 12 inches (30 cm) in any one direction. To make the complex self-sufficient, adequate space in the complex is devoted to support functions. A dining facility, medical facility with dental office, pharmacy and a two-bed ward; two physical fitness centers with exercise equipment
Exercise equipment
An apparatus or device used in any given physical activity for shaping and forming muscle groups for specific areas of the body. A mechanism or machine that is intended to promote health and fitness by using motion with varying degrees of resistance either fixed or adjustable.-Exercise...
and sauna; a small base exchange and barber shop are all located within the complex.
Electricity comes primarily from the city of Colorado Springs, with six 1,750 kilowatt diesel generators for backup
Emergency power system
Emergency power systems are a type of system, which may include lighting, generators, fuel cells and other apparatus, to provide backup power resources in a crisis or when regular systems fail. They find uses in a wide variety of settings from residential homes to hospitals, scientific...
.
Water for the complex comes from an underground supply inside Cheyenne Mountain, deposited into four excavated reservoirs with a capacity of 1.5 million U.S. gallons (6,000 m³) of water. Three serve as industrial reservoirs and the remaining one is the complex's primary domestic water source. They are so large that workers sometimes cross them in rowboats. About 30,000 to 120,000 U.S. gallons (110 to 450 m³) are actually retained at any given time.
Incoming air may be filtered through a system of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear filters to remove harmful pathogens and/or radioactive and chemical particles. The fresh air intake is mainly from the south portal access which is 17.5 feet (5.3 m) high and 15 feet (4.6 m) wide and linked to the north portal access which is 22.5 feet (7 m) high and 29 feet (9 m) wide. The entire tunnel from north to south entry portals is nine-tenths of a mile (1.5 km) long.
The NORAD command center has been modernized several times over the years. The original equipment resembled Mission Control for NASA's Project Apollo
Project Apollo
The Apollo program was the spaceflight effort carried out by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration , that landed the first humans on Earth's Moon. Conceived during the Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Apollo began in earnest after President John F...
in the 1960s-1970s and used similar Philco-Ford consoles and display systems. The current (2005) version, with ordinary desks and flat-screen displays, looks rather ordinary by comparison and resembles NASA's current (2000s) mission control.
Incidents
NORAD computers at Cheyenne Mountain have produced false alerts of possible nuclear attack on at least 3 occasions: On November 9, 1979 test scenario data was inadvertently loaded into live, on-line missile-warning computers, generating false attack indications; On June 3, 1980 a computer communications device failure caused warning messages to be sent to USAF command posts around the world that a mass attack was taking place; On June 6, 1980 false attack indications were again sent out to command posts during fault isolation testing.In popular culture
- The suspense film WarGamesWarGamesWarGames is a 1983 American Cold War suspense/science-fiction film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film stars Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy....
(1983) is set partly at the NORAD facility at Cheyenne Mountain. - The 1985 novel FootfallFootfallFootfall is a 1985 science fiction novel written by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. It was nominated for the both the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1986, and was a No...
by Larry NivenLarry NivenLaurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
and Jerry PournelleJerry PournelleJerry Eugene Pournelle is an American science fiction writer, essayist and journalist who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte and has since 1998 been maintaining his own website/blog....
is set partly inside the NORAD facility where the US government is relocated after an alien invasion of Earth. - In the StargateStargateStargate is a adventure military science fiction franchise, initially conceived by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Stargate. It was originally released on October 28, 1994, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Carolco, and became a hit, grossing nearly...
television franchise (1994—2011), Cheyenne Mountain is home to the fictional U.S. Stargate CommandStargate CommandThe Stargate Program is a fictional top-secret program that plays a key role in the Stargate franchise: it surrounds the operations of the Stargate on Earth. The core of the Stargate Program is Stargate Command , based at the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station near Colorado Springs, Colorado...
. - In the 2001 game Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of SteelFallout Tactics: Brotherhood of SteelFallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel, better known as simply Fallout Tactics, is a turn-based/real-time tactical role-playing game based in the post-apocalyptic Fallout universe. Developed by Micro Forté and published by 14 Degrees East, Fallout Tactics was released on 14 March 2001 for PC...
, the Cheyenne Mountain Complex was expanded and remodeled into Vault 0, a place where America's most intelligent people would be kept in cryogenic stasis in case of nuclear war. - The television series JeremiahJeremiah (TV series)Jeremiah is an American television series starring Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner that ran on the Showtime network from 2002 to 2004. The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where most of the adult population has been wiped out by a deadly virus.Developed by Babylon 5 creator J...
(2002–2004) is set in and around Cheyenne Mountain. It is frequently referred to as "Thunder Mountain" by the fictional inhabitants.
See also
- Air Forces Northern National Security Emergency Preparedness DirectorateAir Forces Northern National Security Emergency Preparedness DirectorateThe Air Forces Northern National Security Emergency Preparedness Directorate , of the First Air Force operates out of its Northern Headquarters at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, effective 1 January 2008....
- Operation Looking Glass
- Raven Rock Mountain Complex
- Cheyenne Mountain State ParkCheyenne Mountain State ParkCheyenne Mountain State Park is a Colorado state park that was acquired in June 2000 through a partnership between the City of Colorado Springs, Colorado State Parks, Great Outdoors Colorado , Colorado Lottery, El Paso County, and other local private organizations.Formerly the JL Ranch, the park is...
- Mount YamantawMount YamantawMount Yamantau is in the Ural Mountains, Bashkortostan, Russia. The name means bad mountain in the Bashkir language . It is also known as Mount Yamantaw. It stands at 1,640 metres and is the highest mountain in the southern Urals...
(Russia)
External links
- New Cheyenne Mountain Directorate Official site
- Location Map