Article

2005-10-21 Science & Technology

End of an Era: Last Titan IV Rocket Launched

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-10-21 00:00|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Never say forever, as the TITAN is just so powerful and capable a lift platform despite its age.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2005-10-21 00:18|| 2005-10-21 00:18|| Front Page Top

#2 That's not a dummy Titan in the museum. It's a genuine Titan II, number 10(?) off the production line. I was used as a training missile, so was never fueled, but it's the real thing (though it now has holes cut in it and obviously doesn't have a warhead).

I was a tour guide there for a year.

Posted by Jackal">Jackal 2005-10-21 00:35|| home.earthlink.net/~sleepyjackal/index.html]">[home.earthlink.net/~sleepyjackal/index.html] 2005-10-21 00:35|| Front Page Top

#3 History was made by this launch system. Now we have moved on. As a real "rocket scientist" who worked a Vandenburg once told me. "Unlike NASA we only blow them up on purpose" It took me a while to stop laughing my ass off but it was pretty much the truth.

Posted by Sock Puppet OÂ´ Doom 2005-10-21 01:30|| 2005-10-21 01:30|| Front Page Top

#4 I used to work on the tv cameras monitoring the entry port on the Titan silos around Wichita. The "re-entry vechicle" on top didn't bother me, but the fuels scared the crap out of me. Hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, a witches brew if there ever was one.
They gave us a briefing on them before we could go out to the sights that included a description on what they smelled like. But the closer was; "..if they reach a high enough consentation that you can smell them, your eyes will melt and your lungs turn to water..".

Boy, I was glad to leave that assignment.

Posted by Steve">Steve 2005-10-21 09:14|| 2005-10-21 09:14|| Front Page Top

#5 "Is that a Titan IV in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"

"Not much on current events, are ya? I like that in my wymyns... Did ya hear about the new law? It sez you hafta..."

Posted by .com 2005-10-21 09:15|| 2005-10-21 09:15|| Front Page Top

#6 Hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, a witches brew if there ever was one.

Hey! Who opened the Alpo?

Rosebud

Posted by Shipman 2005-10-21 13:00|| 2005-10-21 13:00|| Front Page Top

#7 An irony surrounds the Titan II Missile Museum, in that it is near the San Xavier del Bac mission, a 400-year-old Catholic church and school catering to the Yaqui indians. It is the most photographed building in Arizona, and has an air of humble simplicity and peace.

Juxtaposed with an edifice whose very purpose was to enable what could have been part of apocalyptic destruction in the world.

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-10-21 20:50|| 2005-10-21 20:50|| Front Page Top

23:52 .com
23:24 Sock Puppet OÂ´ Doom
23:15 Phil Fraering
23:10 Barbara Skolaut
23:06 Phil Fraering
23:04 Barbara Skolaut
23:03 .com
22:57 Aris Katsaris
22:55 Scott R
22:44 Phil Fraering
22:41 Phil Fraering
22:37 Phil Fraering
22:37 Aris Katsaris
22:35 Phil Fraering
22:30 Phil Fraering
22:27 AzCat
22:23 Penguin
22:21 Mr. XXX
22:10 Aris Katsaris
22:09 CrazyFool
22:07 badanov
22:01 Raj
21:48 anon
21:34 Glereck Slosh9221