OCR Text |
Show Missile Launch Facility's I Is Great on Local Economy ' ' i - Nearly 220 residents of Grand and Emery counties! work at the Green River complex bringing salaries of about $2,5 million into the area. Although a large number of those employees live in the Green River and, surrounding area and somei near Price, there are alsof a good number who live in Moab. .' <; '.. In addition, since the site is located in Grand County, the private companies who do contract work there, Ai-lantic Research Corporation, Honeywell, Dynalecl-roii, and EGA, have a to-fral assessed valuation of $966,000 which brings about $65,000 into the County coffers, making the site one of the top ten largest tax payers in the County with all facilities located in Grand County. The total value of the launch complex is presently listed at $8 million, und-, er government ownership. Some 18,181 acres of land j are being used by the site including that area used for the launching cf_ Pershing missiles during 197.1. In addition to the headquarters area, Green River officials oversee missile firing operations at -other areas including Blanding. The Blaji-ding area includes the Black-Mesa Pershing launch site' and safety area, which consists of 20.1,134 acres of land. This site has been-temporarily demobilized and for this reason Pershing firings are being conducted at Green River. Benefits from the program are not limited to thfs1 part of the state since Thio-kol Chemical Corporation, Utah, builds the first stage motors and Hercules, also, of Utah, builds the second. and third stage motors. Blastoff of the Athena H. missile last Friday was at 10 a.m., and a scant five minutes later the payload of the rocket impacted at White Sands Missile Range, Nfew Mexico. With the Athena H, all sltag.es of the missile will also impact at White Sands. Jm m^/tii^: One of the Athena H missiles, is shown on its launcher at I the Green River missile base less than 24 hours before I lift: off. The missile is undergoing constant surveillance and final tests from mission control to a block house I short distance away. The 60 foot long reentry vehicle is (used by the Space and Missile Systems Organization to Itest, ballistic missile reentry systems. |