How does the air ventilation system work? Are there numerous vent pipes sticking up out of the ground?
In the case of a total economic collapse could not people above ground just stuff up the vent pipes?
I used to explore one in Chico... Dark, wet, cold, dirty, rusting... fun for a few hours.. This site seems dry, but didn’t see any pictures of the actual silo.
In the case of a total economic collapse could not people above ground just stuff up the vent pipes?
There is one air intake shaft leading into the Launch Control Center (LCC). The LCC is the only part of the Titan II complexes that are accessible as the Long Cableway and the Silo and Silo Equipment Area have been destroyed and are filled in.
The air in the LCC is exhausted out into the Access Portal/Blast Lock Area and, in the current configuration, would go topside via the access portal.
When the sites were operational the air would go down the Long Cableway and into the Silo equipment Area where it would be vented topside via the exhaust fans in the Silo Equipment Area. The air pressure in the LCC was always kept higher than the Access Portal, and the Access Portal air pressure was higher than the Silo Equipment Area so there was always positive air flow away from the LCC. This was to ensure any leaking fuel or oxidizer did not enter the LCC.
The complexes were built to withstand a near-miss from a nuclear detonation so the Air Intake Shaft could be easily filled in with enough dirt.