An official website of the United States Government 
Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Photos

Snapshots of what’s happening in the Defense Department.

The launch control console with launch key.

Launch Switch

One of the two keys that would be turned by a crew commander to launch a missile from the launch control center inside Missile Site 8. The indicators on the right would have lit up as the launch sequence began.

Photo Gallery