Atlas F Missile Silo — Abilene, KS
LiDAR documentation of a decommissioned Atlas F missile silo complex capturing the underground control room, crew area, and missile tube.
September 2021
The Rogue Visual Design team recently had the opportunity to visit a decommissioned Atlas F missile silo located in Wilson, Kansas. This former Atlas F missile silo (known as Site 8 - Wilson, Kansas) was part of the 550th Strategic Missile Squadron out of Schilling AFB and was among the last Atlas ICBM bases to be built. Site 8 was only in use 4 years (1961-1965) before it was deemed obsolete and decommissioned.
The Atlas F silo complex consisted of the main missile silo and an underground tunnel connecting to the Launch Control Center (LCC). The LCC and silo were only accessible through an entryway located above-ground. The facility was equipped with an emergency escape hatch that could be accessed from within the LCC. There was additional support equipment and personnel areas above ground contained in two Quonset huts of about 4,000 square feet each. Atlas F silos were built on approximately 20 acres of land, 5 of the acres being contained inside a 7-foot chain link fence.
The 3D LiDAR scans provided by Rogue Visual Design will assist the silo's owner in the restoration and remodeling of what was once home to a Cold War era weapon of mass destruction. The owner's end goal is to turn the silo into a conceptual representation of a Mars or Moon base — a place where people can come to learn about cutting-edge, self-sufficient technologies as well as have camps and a space for special events.