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by kipchak 2282 days ago
If you're interested in the history of the Titan missile program and US nuclear program in general I recommend "Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety".
3 comments

I definitely agree with your recommendation. Much of that book describes the Titan missile that blew up in 1980 after someone dropped a wrench socket that punctured the rocket's fuel tank, throwing the 9 megaton warhead 100 feet. (The warhead did not detonate.) What I didn't realize until I visited the Titan museum near Tucson is that it wasn't a regular wrench socket, but a big, fist-sized 8-pound socket. This made it much more understandable how the socket put a hole in the missile.
American Experience (PBS) did one of their documentaries on this event. It is very well done.

Prior to the socket being dropped, there was a change order issued to use a new type of socket that would not dislodge from the wrench. As I recall, the two technicians tasked with the repair didn't have the new type of socket, but proceeded into the silo anyway.

The History Guy did a great video on this as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDcog2ZP684