Lloyd M. Isley Interview, 23 August 2001
‹‹ Interview Index
1 /
2 /
3 /
4 /
5 /
6 /
7 /
8 /
9 /
10 /
11 /
12 /
13 /
14 /
15 /
16 /
17 /
18 /
19 /
20
| MI: | No, you authenticate to him when you get there. You authenticate your code to him and he's looking at what your code—well actually you've got a number, and you've got a code book and he's got a code book, and you get on the same page and authenticate your number which is a number that was only yours. | |
| TT: | So on your way out you have to stop in at the launch control facility (LCF)? | |
| MI: | You have to stop in at briefing and you pick up, it's actually was called "Keys and Codes" you stop in there and get your keys and codes, codebook. It was a lot less involved if you weren't going in, penetrating the silo where the missile was, if you were just going in the Soft Support Building you just opened the gate and went on site and opened the hatch down below, and went down and called, authenticated and then did your work. But if you were going where the missile was then there had to be Air Policeman there, and somebody else besides one of our shop personnel to go in and then once they opened up the site then you could do your work. But most of the time when we went out on standby—there were times, probably a lot of times, when we'd go out with a missile maintenance team and maybe go down where the missile was, and depending on what the problem was you may have to, you may not have to. And then if you were out—just say an electrician and a refrigeration guy out and you had to penetrate, they'd send a team over there to where you were and do it that way, so. | |
| TT: | Why do they have cooling systems for the missile? | |
| MI: | Well, it has to be kept at constant temperature. | |
| TT: | For what purposes? | |
| MI: | The equipment. Well, the guidance system was cooled by its own little chiller, just for the guidance system, but all the electronic equipment that monitored it and what would be the equivalent of a PC today (chuckles) or something, was in there and had to be kept cool. That's what the air conditioning system was for. And the missile itself was a solid propellant missile, and it's kinda like a stick of dynamite. You don't want to get it hot and you don't want to get it too cold. You keep it at a constant temperature; it can crack, so it's pretty cool— | |
| TT: | So in the summer you kept it cool, and in the winter you kept it— | |
| MI: | Well, being underground there was no such thing as heating, it was all air condition because the equipment put off heat, so you just kept it at a constant 72 degrees or so if I remember right. | |
| TT: | And you were at Minot for two years? | |
| MI: | Yeah, I believe so. I went there straight out of basic training. | |
| TT: | What did you do after Minot? |
‹‹ Previous Page — Next Page ››
4