Minutemen Missile And Mission

[Music] this is the stuff of hope the core ingredient of a story a batch of rocket fuel for missile an intercontinental ballistic missile the energy capsule and a pound of this improbable stuff will generate 2,000 horsepower instantaneously a greater quantity consumed in the engine of a large rocket missile will propel the payload of an ICBM a quarter of the distance around the earth and intercontinental distance it is solid propellant the driving force of a Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile a major new instrument of this nation's war deterrent power its mission is peace [Music] [Music] well Lester hopefully has reporter and commentator I know that you realize we are forced to recognize the possibility of nuclear attacks of course general but from what you've shown me I think I'm getting a more distinct definition of the Air Force's responsibility and now Chet that you know the real story of our growing to chant power from behind the scenes across all the country to the inside story on Minuteman I think you're prepared to take a ballon from there thanks again general thank you chip this is the stage for our story report this is our protagonist Minuteman a new muscle in this country is armament of peace preserving force how best can we judge its importance we must judge it in the light of what it was designed to do and that job is to serve as an integral element the newest essential deterrent in our combined arsenal of deterrent weapons for men and bombers of the Strategic Air Command armed and ready around the globe they patrol the peace along the edges of aerospace in team with our bomber strength the Air Force Mittal they are pledged to a single-purpose defense to ensure that any breach of the world's delicate peace will be committed only at a cost no civilized sane government could countenance they are masterworks of our scientists and engineers and of airforce planning research and development but they are more through their spectacular successes and yes they are spectacular misfires they prove the need for a new generation of missiles simpler missile systems of high reliability ICBMs that could be produced to the cost and pace that no potential enemy can match they prove the need and provided much of the technological experience and momentum for fast development of the Minuteman missile the simplicity and reliability of small solid propellant rocket engines had been proved for many years in such air launched weapons as the airforce Falcon you press the button of the firing circuit and let her go small engine big power for a short-range burst for the long-range missiles the rocket scientists and engineers had developed large liquid fueled engines the liquid propellant engine tax enormous power it also packs an intricate load of mechanisms tanks pumps piping and controls all necessary to effective performance the billion dollar question could be stated quite simply could solid propellants be developed and made to work efficiently an engines big enough to propel the ICBMs years of study test and retest produced the answer but it was not easy from this small engine to this large minh was heartbreaking development building success on failures many hundreds of test firings and several million brain hours of labor but the feasibility of the large solid propellant rocket engine was proved it was a milestone fact that unleashed a new explosive effort by scientists design engineers production engineers and Air Force studies break through one was scientific solid propellants were proved found for propulsion of the Big Bird the intercontinental weapon and beyond the Minuteman engine technology began to visualize solid propellants producing multi-million pound thrusts for certain phases of interplanetary plate break through to was tactical the Minuteman could be counted on to strike out on the intercontinental mission at speeds approaching the velocity required to put a satellite in orbit and to deliver its persuasive payload accurately on pre-selected targets it could be counted on as well to spark a new generation of scientific advancements and military applications in the tough do it now job of preserving peace breakthrough 3 was economic Minuteman thanks to its solid propellant engine and simplified construction assembly could be produced in quantity at a fraction of the cost of its ICBM companion weapon systems these men are the technological and economic breakthroughs that have made Minuteman such a strong new muscle in the pattern of our total deterrent power to understand its tremendous promise we must understand it both as a military or weapons concept and is operational weapon first concept it had to be and was designed to be an instrument of decisive retaliation a counter force capable of permanent readiness and instantaneous reaction in the event of attack thus Minuteman on command will perform like this first stage engine provides the liftoff power and drive for the initial phase of the powered run it is dropped at a precisely predetermined point in flight the second stage engine drives the bird into its space trajectory the third stage engine powers the missile through its final guidance rod during the powered phase of the flight the guidance mechanisms direct the missile on its preset course to make the most of the nation's best scientific and production resources the ballistic missiles division called on five of the country's most advanced scientific and technological development centers to bring Minuteman operational fulfillment they work concurrently on design development and production of the five components that comprise the Minuteman weapon system as time developers of solid propellant fuels and engines fire call chemical corporation is responsible for design and production of the first stage engine and technical backup on the second stage the second and third stage engines are the responsibility of associate contractors in the project Aerojet general and Hercules powder companies the guidance package a highly sophisticated instrument that can neither be jammed or diverted by enemy electronics is the responsibility of the automatics division of North American Aviation the ASCO Corporation has developed the indestructible re-entry vehicle that protects the ultimate Taillow and the Boeing Airplane company is responsible for final assembly integration and tests of the completed missile the entire project is under direction and surveillance of the ballistic missiles division of the air research and development command the Minuteman is possible as concept and as operational weapon principally of course because its engines work at the drop of a hat this reliability is rooted in a complex with simply stated accomplishment scientists and engineers have married ultra simple engine design to the firing certainty of solid propellants the production job is the responsibility of fire calls Utah division here in the hills above Brigham City Utah the finished engine cases roll two propellant charging pits above the expanding industrial complex for a techniques in quality control and inspection in short total built in reliability for every engine reliability protected by deliberate care through every stage of hands behind each engine the expanding organization of research in engineering continuously creating new more powerful propellants developing new engines for the next generation of increasingly efficient missiles production facilities are prepared to outrun any advance in the requirements of the Minuteman program [Applause] for our production efficiency the engine cases are set an underground pit [Music] here the propellant charge flows into the engine around a specially designed core after the propellant has cured to a solid state the core is removed nozzles are attached and an igniter inserted from here on the engine is ready for instant firing as can be seen from this prototype test vehicle total design and configuration of the Minuteman missile were planned to capitalize on our most advanced industrial techniques and thus to gain the advantages of low-cost line production manufacture of components and high speed of final assembly Minuteman engines have been subjected to exhaustive tests of power and reliability under condition simulating flight in both space and atmospheric environments guidance intelligence is fed into the missile when it goes into launch position thereafter it is constantly ready for instant launch and in flight guidance control for accurate delivery on target first stage second stage third stage after that the trajectory is fixed on target this test missile Kaizen improvised nose cone for balanced as an operational weapon system the Minuteman will perform as an integral element within the total structure of the strategic force each small crew will control a large force of ready to fly missiles each one armed aimed and ready each or all can be triggered in less than a minute from the moment of command to ensure an enhance to strike back power and certainty of the Minuteman system mobile launchers will prowl the nations railroad system provide additional security for the missiles with aleatory punch mobility enhances by a significant factor the total deterrent cycles a Minuteman weapon system a train such as this model for example could be a nest of mobile Minuteman in disguise here today where tomorrow only its commander will know and will the West targets are unlikely victims of a sneak missile attack assembled and ready the weapons will go by air road and rail from support base to assignment the deployment plan with precision to ensure maximum invulnerability to attack Minuteman squadrons will stand guard and underground fighters strategically dispersed and heavily hardened to ensure effective survival in the event of attack the launchers in turn will be under constant instantaneous firing control from operational control centers manned by highly trained personnel of the multiple Minuteman squadrons ready for action Minuteman missiles will roll to their assigned launch sites on special truck transporters [Music] these preparations are being made for a five-o task firing another check out on the work of the men and the engines and the missile so basic to our deterrent strength our security it may be our survival [Music] [Applause] hidden squadrons of Minutemen will be under constant control from a network of firing bunkers air force man and each in turn controlled from a secret central command center and from command to blast off a matter of seconds [Music] [Music] Claire then is you're a Minuteman a strategic weapon concept and is operational missile its effectiveness rooted in the simplicity and reliability of its solid propellant engines its deterrent and strike back capability assured by thoroughly proved guidance and reentry components its operational effectiveness made certain by dispersal in hardened silo sites and the roving alert of mobile launching platforms its ultimate reliability of the counter force a living reality in the trained and dedicated men of the Strategic Air Command its mission to preserve the peace through its power to destroy may history record that it was never fired in anger and that its greatest mission was to help power man's long leap beyond the challenges of armed security into new regions of understanding among men and nations meanwhile the job at hand to mount the new power that must secure the peace [Music] [Music] [Music] you