More information on tours and tour reservations. All tour participants must be able to be physically capable of climbing two 15 foot ladders unassisted in the event of an elevator failure. In the summer season tours fill up to eight weeks in advance. SAME DAY tour reservations are not available in the summer season. Reservations can be made up to 90 days prior to tour date. Reservations can be made on-line or by phone at 60. All tours of the Delta-01 Launch Control Facility require advanced reservations and an amenity fee. This tour begins and ends at the entry gate to the Delta-01 compound. To protect the historic facilities and to provide for visitor safety, each tour is limited to six participants and a park ranger. Entry through the Gate Requires a Reserved Ranger-Guided Tourīuilt for nuclear war, the control center features a small elevator and a tight underground space. The 91st Strategic Missile Wing (SMW) is responsible for 150 ICBM Minuteman missiles dispersed over an area of about 8,500 square miles surrounding Minot.

A cell-phone guided tour leads visitors to the front gate and provides information about the site and how it operated. An exhibit panel provides context to the site. Walk To The GateĪll visitors to Delta-01 can walk up to the large entrance gate and look through the fence into the compound. Other areas on the topside included a day room, dining area and recreational room that Air Force support personnel used while at the facility. The building also contained a Security Control Center, where all security activities were coordinated and personnel would be processed when coming on site. They would spend the night at the nearest LCF before driving back to Ellsworth Air Force Base the following day. In addition, the site had bunk housing for visitors, such as maintenance teams who were required to remain over night at the nearest Launch Control Facility (LCF) if they exceeded 16 hours in a work shift. They worked three straight days on, followed by three days off. These personnel included a Facility Manager (top ranking non-commissioned officer on-site), a cook and six security police. There were always eight people on the topside, all enlisted Air Force personnel who were stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, 60 miles to the west. Minuteman Missiles were Americas first solid-fuel Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). Minuteman Missiles were deployed across the Central and Northern Great Plains region beginning in 1961. Equipment such as a backup generator for auxiliary power, and environmental control provided backup support in the event of a power outage or an attack. The shaded areas on Map 1 show the location of the missile silos in the fields.

The topside supported the missileers stationed underground in carrying out their mission. Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile State Historic Site. This compound includes the topside support building and the associated underground Launch Control Center located 31 feet below the plains of western South Dakota. The topside appears exactly as it did during its existence as an active launch facility.

Minuteman missile silo diagram