Sunday, October 23, 2011

"But they'll see the big board!"



Apparently the Russian Ministry of Defense Press Club and Strategic Rocket Forces press secretary Vadim Anatolyevich Koval invited a bunch of Russian bloggers into the holiest of holies - the Strategic Rocket Forces Central Command Post and Strategic Rocket Forces Museum (Open 1000-1700 daily, appointments only) in Vlasikha (Odintsevo-10), just outside of Moscow. Let's take a look:

You see all sorts of strange playground equipment in Russia, but this is one of the strangest. 

SS-2 combustion chamber


SS-9 mod 3 ICBM instrumentation section

Instrument section of the SS-17 ICBM

Good view of the gyro mounted in the SS-17 instrument section.

SS-20 Pioneer warhead (15F542)

Interesting how it appears from the museum exhibit that the missile shelters were originally designed to look like a farm house, or how the missiles were designed to be hidden in ordinary tractor trailers.
"Honey? Did you leave the garage open again? You know those kids will get in and steal the truck again!"
You can hide a silo in your uncle's barn, too. 
Interesting re-entry vehicle configuration here. Four go up, four go down.

The very welcoming front gate to the command post.
"Time to make the doughnuts. Or blow up the Americans. One of the two."

The outer door of the command post.

And some sort of inner door. It's like Get Smart or something.

Six diesel generators provide back up power.

And those diesel generators and electrical power in general is controlled from here. 

Apparently, this is mural is the only item allowed to be photographed in the main hall of the Vlasikha command post. I am reliably informed that the main hall is big, and has lots of buttons and phones.

Taken from here, here, here, here, and here.

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