Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex, Missile Site Control Building, Northeast of Tactical Road; southeast of Tactical , Nekoma vicinity, Cavalier County, ND

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Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey

30 b&w photos
31 data pages
3 photo caption pages

TITLE:
Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex, Missile Site Control Building, Northeast of Tactical Road; southeast of Tactical , Nekoma vicinity, Cavalier County, ND

CALL NUMBER:
HAER ND-9-B

REPRODUCTION NUMBER:
[See Call Number]

MEDIUM:
Photo(s): 30 (4 x 5 and 8 x 10)
Data Page(s): 30 plus cover page
Photo Caption Page(s): 3

DATE:
Documentation compiled after 1968.

CREATOR:
Historic American Engineering Record, creator

NOTE:
Survey number HAER ND-9-B

Building/structure dates: 1970 initial construction

Building/structure dates: 1976 subsequent work

Significance: It is believed that the plans for deployment and initiation of construction of this facility were instrumental in obtaining Soviet agreement to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and a subsequent decline in Cold War hostilities between the Superpowers. This structure was nuclear hardened, that is, designed to withstand a nearby nuclear blast. Both the MSR with its data processing center and its power plant were nuclear hardened. The MSR was designed to be self-contained in case of attack. The MSR was a phased array radar, its beams were steered electronically instead of using heavy moving antennas. Rather than a large dish, this radar has thousands of small antenna built into each face. The MSR had a detection range of several hundred miles. It provided more precise, close-in target data than the PAR. The MSR was to ready interceptors (Spartan and Sprint missiles) for launch and than was to guide them to intercept. The MSR had four faces allowing it to operate against attackers from any direction. A research and development version of the MSR had been built at the Kwajalein Missile Range (in the Marshall Islands). However, that version was not built partially underground like the MSR at SRMSC.

SUBJECTS:
NORTH DAKOTA--Cavalier County--Nekoma vicinity
military art & science
military facilities
concrete buildings

OTHER TITLE:
Missile Site Radar Complex
Building No. 430

COLLECTION:
Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress)

REPOSITORY:
Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

DIGID:
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.nd0046

CONTROL #:
ND0046

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