The tour of Vandenburg starts at the visitors center at the entrance of the base. This tour took place on May 23, 2001. The bus tour takes you to a Korean War memorial and then onto the museum that was once SLC-10 a Thor launch site. On the way, depending on the weather, you will see old shuttle buildings, an Atlas pad and the active Delta pad. No stops are made at any of these pads and don't even think about seeing anything on the South Base. (What South Base?)
The museum itself is made up of two rooms one featuring a launch console and the other containing titan rocket engines, minuteman rocket stages and re-entry vehicles. The museum's curator, Jay Prichard, gives a tour and can tell you everything you would want to know about the items in the museum. At the time of my visit, the Thor rocket was in the process of being restored.
On the way back to the exit, the guides can tell you what buildings you are passing are (or were) but you can only see so much from a moving bus. The most recognizable shuttle facility is the runway that was lengthend to 15,000 feet. |
