100 feet below the surface, inside a pitch dark Titan I ICBM Missile Silo, looking through a blast lock door.
These doors protected the complex from an explosion inside the silo or an attack on the silo. Each of the silos was separated from the complex by 2 blast lock doors. You can see the second set in the background of this image.
Blast doors for Launch Silo No.3 - Beale 851-C Titan I Missile Base
To me, these types of images are really fun to create. This space was pitch dark, so to get this shot, I set up an LED panel at the camera, shining towards the blast doors to get a composition. Once the framing was set, I took a LED panel and placed it beneath the walkway on the right. I also placed a panel behind the ajar door. Lastly, during the exposure, I light painted the circular section of the tunnel, near the camera, with a flashlight.
Sound baffles were installed on the ceiling of the underground power station of a former Titan I ICBM base to help prevent the loud sounds of the machinery from reverberating due to the circular ceiling.
Dark interior, lit with Dorcy Metal Gear XL-M Flashlight.
Tunnel leading to the Antenna Terminal of the Beale 851-C Titan I Missile Base in California.
Looking into the no. 2 launch silo inside the Beale 851-C Titan I Missile Base
During the base's operation (1962-1965), the 165 foot deep launch silo would have contained a crib structure to support the 52 foot tall Titan I missile.
