At the height of the Cold War, antiaircraft missiles stood at the ready in Florida's swamplands, protecting the South from a potential Soviet nuclear bomber attack launched from Cuba. For almost two decades, beginning shortly after the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, the HM-69 Nike Hercules Missile Site was staffed by about 100 military personnel, one of the last lines of defense if the unthinkable happened. When it closed in 1979, the National Park Service took control of the site. Now it is undergoing a rebirth of sorts as a public exhibit, drawing the curious who want to see the Cold War relic along with those who stumble upon it while visiting Everglades National Park. With a $10 Everglades admission fee and a phone call to park officials, tourists can join the hour-long driving tour of the Nike site, which was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The missiles were dismantled and removed, but visitors can see the site's administration building, the tiny missile assembly shed, the missile barns and protective berms. Tours continue till the end of this month, during the park's peak season. (Sigue)
Yo vi uno de estos sitios alrededor de 1984 cuando trabajaba en el periodico El MUndo. No me recuerdo como me llego la inivitacion de ir al sitio y era impresionante el ver las instalaciones.
ResponderEliminarPero siendo conocedor de la electronica, lo que mas me impresiono en esa epoca era que los Hercules usaban tubos de vacio, valvulas o "bombillos" en los llamados guidance systems o sistemas de guia de los Hercules. Estos cohetes se le vendieron a Japon posteriormente y reemplazaron esos sistemas con transistores. No se como a los fabricantes se les ocurrio semejante cosa cuando ya el transistor existia en esa epoca. Cosas que hay que leer en la Historia.