Santa Barbara County Notables
Sources: Wikipedia; National Historical Landmarks
Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 10
Photograph of a Thor-Agena
rocket on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 2E, surrounded
by scrub vegetation and various support buildings, Space Launch
Complex 2W on the right, SLC-1W on the left and SLC-1E in the
middle and the Pacific Ocean in the distant background.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Thorad_Agena_with_SERT-2.jpg
Source: http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1966&ResourceType=Structure
Source: http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1966&ResourceType=Structure
Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 10
Space Launch Complex 10,
or Missile Launch Complex 10, is located on Vandenberg Air Force
Base in Lompoc, California. It was built in 1958 to test
ballistic missiles and developed into a space launching facility
in 1963. It remains a rare pristine look at the electronics and
facilities created in that era which helped the United States
grow their space capabilities.
The last launch from this complex was a Thor booster in 1980.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
It is undergoing an eight year restoration and public visits are
possible, if arranged in advance.
Uses
RAF
SLC-10 was used to train military operators of PGM-17 Thor
ballistic missiles, and to conduct missile launch tests. Seven
launch attempts were conducted from SLC-10E by British Armed
Forces Royal Air Force crews, of which six were successful.
(There was also one PGM-17 Thor missile launch by an RAF crew
from SLC-10W, which took place 1959-08-14.)
Johnston Island
The facilities at SLC-10 were dismantled and transported to
Johnston Island in support of Operation Dominic, a nuclear
weapons testing project conducted there in 1962.
DMSP
The equipment was returned to Vandenburg to support early
launches of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, which
were conducted at SLC-10W from 1965 to 1980, using the Thor
satellite launch vehicles, the first stages of which followed the
design of the Thor missile.
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Statement of Significance
(as of designation - June 23, 1986):
Built in 1958 for the U.S. Air Force's Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) Testing Program, this complex was adapted for space flight purposes. The launch facility was first used on June 16, 1959. The blockhouse contains one of the best existing collections of the working electronics used to support launches of that era and the entire complex is the best surviving example of a working launch complex built in the 1950s at the beginning of the American effort to explore space.
Condition:
Space Launch Complex 10
at Vandenberg Air Force Base is the best surviving example of a
launch complex built in the 1950s at the beginning of the
American effort to explore space.
Five years of a planned 8-year refurbishment have been completed
at Space Launch Complex 10. Several buildings have been
stabilized on the West launch pad, and a new ADA-compatible
restroom has been added. Exterior drainage and landscape issues
have been addressed, and other civil improvements have been made.
A Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) document has been
completed for management purposes, and an updated NHL site form
also has been produced. Management and maintenance plans are
being addressed, and the next three years should see the
completion of the refurbishment and stabilization project if
funding sources remain viable.
This page was last updated August 2, 2009.
