Originally posted by
noisylion:
The Operations Center itself lies along one side of a main
tunnel bored almost a mile through the solid granite heart of the
mountain. The tunnel is designed to route the worst of a blast's
shock wave out the other end, past the two 25-ton blast doors that
mark one wall. The center was designed to withstand up to a 30
megaton blast within 1 nautical mile.
The underground Combat Operations Center (COC) was originally
intended to provide a 70% probability of continuing to function if
a five-megaton
nuclear weapon
detonated three miles (5.6
km) away, but
was ultimately built to withstand a multimegaton blast within 1.5
nautical miles (2.8 km). It was
also designed to be self-sufficient for brief periods, have backup
communications and television intercom with related commands, house
personnel during an emergency, and protect staff against fallout
and biological and chemical warfare.
The main entrance to the complex is about one-third of a mile
(540 m) from the North Portal via a tunnel which leads to a pair of
25-ton steel blast doors.
Behind them is a steel building complex built within a 4.5 acre
(18,000 m²) grid of excavated chambers and tunnels and
surrounded by 2,000 feet (600 m) of granite. The main excavation consists
of three chambers 45 feet (15 m) wide, 60 feet (20 m) high, and 588
feet (180 m) long, intersected by four chambers 32 feet (10 m)
wide, 56 feet (17 m) high and 335 feet (100 m) long. Fifteen
buildings, freestanding without contact with the rock walls or
roofs and joined by flexible vestibule connections, make up the
inner complex. Twelve of these buildings are three stories tall;
the others are one and two stories.
The outer shell of the buildings is made of three-eighths-inch
(9.5 mm) continuously welded low carbon steel plates which are
supported by structural steel frames. Metal walls and tunnels serve
to attenuate electromagnetic pulse (EMP). Metal doors at each
building entrance serve as fire doors to help contain fire and
smoke. Emphasis on the design of the structure is predicated on the
effects of nuclear weapons; however, building design also makes it
possible for the complex to absorb the shock of earthquakes.
Blast valves,
installed in reinforced concrete bulkheads, have been placed in the
exhaust and air intake supply, as well as water, fuel, and sewer
lines. Sensors at the North and South Portal entrances will detect
overpressure waves from a nuclear explosion, causing the valves to
close and protect the complex. All of the buildings in the complex
are mounted on 1,319 steel springs, each weighing about 1,000
pounds (450 kg). The springs allow the complex to move 12 inches
(30 cm) in any one direction. To make the complex self-sufficient,
adequate space in the complex is devoted to support functions. A
dining facility, medical facility with dental office, pharmacy and
a two-bed ward; two physical fitness centers with exercise
equipment and sauna; a small base exchange and barber shop are all
located within the complex.
Electricity comes primarily from the city of Colorado Springs,
with six 1,750 kilowatt diesel generators for backup.
Water for the complex comes from an underground supply inside
Cheyenne Mountain, deposited into four excavated reservoirs with a
capacity of 1.5 million US gallons (6,000 m³) of water. Three serve
as industrial reservoirs and the remaining one is the complex’s
primary domestic water source. They are so large that workers
sometimes cross them in rowboats. About 30,000 to 120,000 US
gallons are actually retained at any given time.
Incoming air may be filtered through a system of
chemical/biological/radiological (CBR) filters to remove harmful
germs and/or radioactive and chemical particles. The fresh air
intake is mainly from the south portal access which is 17 ½ feet
(5.3 m) high and 15 feet (4.6 m) wide and linked to the north
portal access which is 22 ½ feet (7 m) high and 29 feet (9 m) wide.
The entire tunnel from north to south entry portals is nine-tenths
of a mile (1.5 km) long.
DSTA only store ammo, Cheyenne Mountain used for more complex
puposes:
blast door nothing new... already done long time ago in Cheyenne
Mountain
DSTA only dig a bit into Mandai... Cheyenne Mountain involved
having to drill through the heart of a rock solid mountain!
Can Mandai survive this just 1nm away?
Another scale of how big Cheyenne Mountain complex is... one of
their water tanks require rowboat to cross!
