Inside the historic Cold War landmark at Vandenberg Space Force base—its technology, its people, and its military importance. Includes photos. Situated in the sand dunes of California’s Central Coast, Space Launch Complex Ten, often called SLC-10 or “Slick Ten,” is a National Historic Landmark that commemorates a powerful Cold War legacy. Home to Vandenberg’s Space and Missile Technology Center, or SAMTEC, the facility contains the rich technological heritage of the U.S. Air Force’s space and missile launch systems. As the only remaining Thor intermediate-range ballistic missile launch site in the world, SLC-10’s noteworthy achievements span the globe. The complex trained British Royal Air Force missileers for Project EMILY, assisted during nuclear atmospheric tests in the Pacific, and launched military weather satellites in support of the covert National Reconnaissance Program. Former air force space and missile officer Joseph T. Page II recounts amazing stories of dedicated men and women who led the American military effort to explore space.

Master launch photographer Ben Cooper captures readers' favorite subjects in a new light. Rather than presenting the standard "rocket lifting off the launch pad" images, he provides fresh perspectives. In addition to providing text about manned and unmanned crafts that will pique the interest of shuttle enthusiasts and newcomers alike, he shares wide-angle captures, night photographs, images shot from seldom-seen angles, and more. Readers will marvel over detailed photos of the shuttle before and after retirement, and juxtaposed with nature (Cape Canaveral's launch pages are surrounded by a national wildlife refuge), behind-the-scenes shots, images of the crafts rolling to the pad, and launching and landing too. Photographs of unmanned rockets, such as United Launch Alliance Delta II, Delta IV, and Atlas V rockets, which have been launching for a long time, plus the new era SpaceX, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy rockets, will please readers young and old.

The "Missile Launch Complex 39A Site" was originally listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on May 24, 1973, for its association with the Man in Space Program. It was reevaluated in 1996 in the context of the Apollo Program, ca. 1961 through 1975, and on January 21, 2000, the newly defined Launch Complex 39: Pad A Historic District was listed in the NRHP. The Launch Complex 39: Pad A Historic District has since gained importance in the context of the Space Shuttle Program, ca. 1969 to 2010. As currently defined, the historic district contains twenty-one contributing resources and twenty-three noncontributing resources within its boundary. It is considered eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criteria A and C in the areas of Space Exploration and Engineering, respectively. Because it has achieved significance within the past 50 years, Criteria Consideration G applies. The period of significance for the Launch Complex 39: Pad A Historic District, with regards to the Space Shuttle Program, is from 1980, when the first Space Shuttle vehicle arrived at the launch pad, through 2010, the designated end of the Space Shuttle Program. The Space Shuttle Program is the longest running American space program to date. Unlike the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, the emphasis was on cost effectiveness and reusability, as well as the construction of a space station. The district is one of two sites at the Kennedy Space Center specially designed and constructed to launch the Space Shuttle vehicle; the other site is the Launch Complex 39: Pad B Historic District, also listed in the NRHP on January 21, 2000. It has facilitated nationally significant events associated with space travel, and has been integral to the launching of the Space Shuttle. As such, the Launch Complex 39: Pad A Historic District is of exceptional importance to the Space Shuttle Program.Please note that photographs referenced in this report were not available for this reproduction. As a bonus, this compilation also includes the 11-part Aeronautics and Space Report of the President Fiscal Year 2016 Activities.

On December 16, 1958, a Thor intermediate-range ballistic missile became the first rocket launch from Vandenberg AFB, California. Established from the remnants of a WWII and Korean War training base named Camp Cooke, the USAF selected the location to operationally test intercontinental-range ballistic missiles over the Pacific Ocean. Over the decades, Vandenberg has seen over 1,900 launches of more than 70 varieties of rockets and missiles. This book chronicles the launches by rocket/missile, launchpad location, and payload. Many never-before-seen photographs illustrate the variety of space launch vehicles used to lift national-security satellites into orbit, as well as the operational testing of the missiles used by United States nuclear-alert forces. The launches at Vandenberg helped drive the technological innovation and deterrence that helped the US win the Cold War.