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THE "CHIP":
MINUTEMAN'S CIVILIAN LEGACY
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1970 the Minuteman was modified so it could be retargeted quickly.
To accomplish this, the Air Force had chosen in 1962 a new and untested
technology--the integrated circuit, or silicon "chip"--for
an improved guidance computer. Minuteman production contracts helped
bring the chip from the laboratory into the consumer marketplace.
The
chips shown here were among the early development models produced
by Texas Instruments for the Minuteman program.
Lent by
the National Museum of American History
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 A
Minuteman
III guidance ring with its computers and gyroscopes is displayed in
the Beyond the Limits
gallery upstairs. |
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| Operational
Minuteman missiles are tested about three times a year. The Air Force
selects a missile at random, removes its warheads, and ships the missile
to Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. From there it is fired at
a test target about 7,700 kilometers (4,800 miles) away in the Marshall
Islands of the South Pacific. These tests provide data on the accuracy
and reliability of Minuteman components and the effects of aging on
its solid propellant. |
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The
Minuteman missileer's technical order bag contained instructions for
launch and related necessities, as well as a deck of cards for the
long hours on duty in the missile silo. The pin bears the Senior Missile
Man insignia.
Gift of
Capt. Robert F. Moore, USAF
Pin gift
of U.S. Air Force
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