Airmen of the 21st Space Wing’s 721st Mission Support Group at Cheyenne Mountain AFS, Colo., recently practiced “button-up” procedures—closing the mountain’s monstrous blast doors. “The blast doors are three-and-a-half feet thick, weigh 25 tons, and are normally closed by a hydraulic pump in 30 to 45 seconds,” says 1st Lt. Jeff Crepeau, 721st MSG executive officer. With muscle power alone, they can be closed in 4.5 minutes.
The Sentinel Launch Support System, the digital backbone for testing the new intercontinental ballistic missile over its expected 50-year life, has completed critical design review, Northrop Grumman said Oct. 20.
