Cheyenne Mountain complex

Cheyenne Mountain Complex
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Coordinates	38°44′32.91″N 104°50′54.40″W / 38.7424750°N 104.8484444°W / 38.7424750; -104.8484444Coordinates: 38°44′32.91″N 104°50′54.40″W / 38.7424750°N 104.8484444°W / 38.7424750; -104.8484444
Site history
Built	May 18, 1961 – February 8, 1966
In use	Cheyenne Mountain Complex NORAD Cheyenne Mountain Complex (January 20, 1965)

Diagram of tunnels to buildings within the mountain: Access Tunnel (right) with North and South openings at the mountain's east slope, side tunnels to the main chambers and the support area, a support area including reservoirs (blue), and main chambers (gray grid) for the centers (dark green buildings are 3 story) with 3 tunnels 45 feet (15 m) wide, 60.5 feet (20 m) high, and 588 feet (180 m) long intersected by 4 cross tunnels 32 feet (10 m) wide, 56 feet (17 m) high and 335 feet (100 m) long.

External images

construction scaffolding

c. 1972 Space Defense Center

BMDC Operations Room (p. 12-4)

Space Computational Center

landform viewed from Ent AFB site

1970s exterior footage (minute 6:50)

The Cheyenne Mountain Complex is a military installation and nuclear bunker located in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, which hosts the activities of several tenant units. Also located in Colorado Springs is Peterson Air Force Base, where the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) headquarters are located.

Formerly the center for the United States Space Command and NORAD, the Complex monitored the air space of Canada and the United States through a worldwide system for missiles, space systems, and foreign aircraft through its early-warning system. Since 2008, NORAD and the United States Space Command have been based at Peterson Air Force Base and the complex, re-designated as an air force station, is used for flight crew training and as a back-up command center if required.

The military complex has included, in the past, many units of NORAD, U.S. Space Command, Aerospace Defense Command (ADCOM), Air Force Systems Command, Air Weather Service, and Federal Emergency Management (FEMA). The complex's communication center is also used by the nearby U.S. Civil Defense Warning Center.

The complex was built under 2,000 feet (610 m) of granite on 2 hectares (5 acres). Fifteen three-story buildings are protected from movement by an earthquake or explosion by a system of giant springs that the buildings sit on and flexible pipe connectors to limit the operational effect of movement. A total of more than 1,000 springs are designed to prevent any of the 15 buildings from shifting more than one inch. The complex is the only high altitude Department of Defense facility certified to be able to sustain an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). There is a large quantity of cots for most of the personnel and suites for "top brass" within the nuclear bunker. Amenities include a medical facility, store, cafeteria, and fitness centers inside and outside the mountain.

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