| A unique opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes tour of Vandenberg Air Force Base, among the nation's most important military and aerospace installations. This base coordinates the training and testing of crews responsible for our nation’s missile defense and tracking system and manages space and missile testing. It is the only launch site for both commercial and military satellites on the West Coast and for those going into polar orbit. Located just north of Santa Barbara near Lompoc and surrounded by the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, Vandenberg lies in a beautiful secluded location on California's Central Coast. On this docent-guided tour we’ll see some of Vandenberg's launch complexes and other places of interest. A visit to the Space & Missile Heritage Center which displays artifacts and memorabilia related to the evolution of missile and space lift activity from the beginning of the Cold War through current non-classified developments in military, commercial, and scientific space endeavors. Learn about the history of the base, normal day-to-day operations and what takes place on the base leading up to launches. An included lunch on the base at the Officer’s Club. Required: valid government-issued photo identification; non-U.S. citizens must have proper documentation. Also see Edwards Air Force Base offered on December 7. |