Welcome to A People's Atlas of Nuclear Colorado
To experience the full richness of the Atlas, please view on desktop.
Navigating the Atlas
You may browse the Atlas by following the curated "paths" of information and interpretation provided by the editors. These paths roughly track the movement of radioactive materials from the earth, into weapons or energy sources, and then into unmanageable waste—along with the environmental, social, technical, and ethical ramifications of these processes. In addition to the stages of the production process, you may view in sequence the positivist, technocratic version of this story, or the often hidden or repressed shadow side to the industrial processing of nuclear materials.
Using the buttons on the left, you may also browse the Atlas's artworks and scholarly essays, access geolocated material on a map, and learn more about contributors to the project.
If you would like to contribute materials to the Atlas, please reach out to the editors: Sarah Kanouse (s.kanouse at northeastern.edu) and Shiloh Krupar (srk34 at georgetown.edu).
Cover Image by Shanna Merola, "An Invisible Yet Highly Energetic Form of Light," from Nuclear Winter.
Atlas design by Byse.
Funded by grants from Georgetown University and Northeastern University. Initial release September 2021.
Using the buttons on the left, you may also browse the Atlas's artworks and scholarly essays, access geolocated material on a map, and learn more about contributors to the project.
If you would like to contribute materials to the Atlas, please reach out to the editors: Sarah Kanouse (s.kanouse at northeastern.edu) and Shiloh Krupar (srk34 at georgetown.edu).
Cover Image by Shanna Merola, "An Invisible Yet Highly Energetic Form of Light," from Nuclear Winter.
Atlas design by Byse.
Funded by grants from Georgetown University and Northeastern University. Initial release September 2021.
RekonDog, Radomes at Buckley Air Force Base, 23 December 2001, Wikimedia Commons
Site
Buckley Air Force Base / Buckley Space Force Base (renamed 2021)
Purchased by the city of Denver and donated to the War Department in 1938, the 100-square mile area of land—at the time separated several miles east from the city—served as an auxiliary field and bombing range for the nearby Lowry Field. In 1941, the site was named Buckley Field in honor of WWI Army pilot First Lieutenant John Harold Buckley.
Following the U.S.’s entry in WWII, Lowry Field’s armament training program dramatically expanded, and Lowry officials transferred its fighter armament school to Buckley and set aside 5,470 acres in the auxiliary field area for this purpose. With over 700 buildings, Buckley supported the U.S. Army Air Corps Technical Training School, and hosted schools for basic training, chemical warfare, military police, and arctic survival schools for aircrew dedicated to the Alaskan Wing of the Air Transport Command. Buckley Field graduated tens of thousands of armament students, arctic survival students, and basic trainees.
After WWII, the status of the site shifted between a sub-post of Lowry Field and a separate installation, with the Colorado Air National Guard relocating there from the Denver Municipal Airport in order to serve as custodian. In 1947, the site quickly changed hands to the Department of the Navy (renamed the Naval Air Station Denver), where it was used as a training installation for Reserve forces until its decommissioning and transfer in 1959 to the U.S. Air Force (USAF, which had become a separate service branch in 1947). Under the Navy, the base not only hosted Naval Air Reserve aviation squadrons, but also scores of veterans and their families waiting to return to civilian life. Even with the USAF resuming control of the site, the Naval Air Reserve Center Denver remained a tenant.
In 1960, under a license from the USAF, the site became the Buckley Air National Guard Base and, under the control of the Colorado Air National Guard, served as the first stand-alone Air National Guard base in the country for more than 40 years. During the Cold War, Buckley Air Force Base mobilized tactical fighter squadrons for Vietnam, the USS Pueblo crisis, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. From 1961-65, the base's former bombing range housed four Titan I missile silos, operated by the 451st Strategic Missile Wing, headquartered at Lowry AFB. In 1969 construction began on a top-secret satellite communication installation that became known as the Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado, later housing the U.S.-based operational center for satellite missile warning systems that provide 24-hour detection of intercontinental ballistic missile launches and atmospheric explosions. Local residents nicknamed the iconic white geodesic domes that protect the satellite dishes the “giant golf balls."
Following base closures and realignments in the 1980s and 1990s, Buckley’s tenants and military support units expanded, and in 2000, the USAF took control of the base, named it the Buckley Air Force Base, and embarked on extensive new construction (dormitories, chapel, fitness center, family housing units, medical clinics, etc.). Today, the base hosts the 460th Space Wing, which provides missile warning, missile defense, satellite command and control, and global surveillance operations. While initially retaining Air Force Base designation, the installation was renamed Buckley Space Force Base on June 4, 2021, following the establishment of the separate United States Space Force in December 2019 (which elevated the Air Force Space Command of the U.S. Air Force into this new armed service).
Many areas around Buckley Air Force Base have experienced persistent pollution and environmental damage. Base construction and activities contaminated resources such as water and soil, threatening the health of people who served on the base and lived in nearby communities. For example, following base training exercises, the landing tracks were washed with chemicals that seeped into the water table and, in turn, passed into the groundwater. Additionally, fire extinguishing practices polluted drinking water with retardant foam that contained hazardous perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Base structures, such as buildings and hangars, contained construction materials that posed health risks, such as lead-based paints and asbestos. Storage tanks leaked oil and fuels into the soil and waters. To address the damage and remedy these ongoing hazards, the Air Force has established bioventilation systems and recovery wells to mitigate contaminants present in the soil.
“Buckley AFB.” GlobalSecurity.org. Accessed September 10, 2020.
“Buckley AFB–Contents.” AirForceUSA.org. Accessed September 10, 2020.
CBSDenver. “Air Force, State Health Department To Test Water Around Buckley AFB.” CBS Denver, February 7, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021
Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. “Buckley Annex.” Accessed March 22, 2021.
U.S. Space Force. “Buckley Space Force Base.” Accessed August 27, 2021.
Wikipedia. “Buckley Space Force Base.” Accessed June 12, 2021.
Following the U.S.’s entry in WWII, Lowry Field’s armament training program dramatically expanded, and Lowry officials transferred its fighter armament school to Buckley and set aside 5,470 acres in the auxiliary field area for this purpose. With over 700 buildings, Buckley supported the U.S. Army Air Corps Technical Training School, and hosted schools for basic training, chemical warfare, military police, and arctic survival schools for aircrew dedicated to the Alaskan Wing of the Air Transport Command. Buckley Field graduated tens of thousands of armament students, arctic survival students, and basic trainees.
After WWII, the status of the site shifted between a sub-post of Lowry Field and a separate installation, with the Colorado Air National Guard relocating there from the Denver Municipal Airport in order to serve as custodian. In 1947, the site quickly changed hands to the Department of the Navy (renamed the Naval Air Station Denver), where it was used as a training installation for Reserve forces until its decommissioning and transfer in 1959 to the U.S. Air Force (USAF, which had become a separate service branch in 1947). Under the Navy, the base not only hosted Naval Air Reserve aviation squadrons, but also scores of veterans and their families waiting to return to civilian life. Even with the USAF resuming control of the site, the Naval Air Reserve Center Denver remained a tenant.
In 1960, under a license from the USAF, the site became the Buckley Air National Guard Base and, under the control of the Colorado Air National Guard, served as the first stand-alone Air National Guard base in the country for more than 40 years. During the Cold War, Buckley Air Force Base mobilized tactical fighter squadrons for Vietnam, the USS Pueblo crisis, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. From 1961-65, the base's former bombing range housed four Titan I missile silos, operated by the 451st Strategic Missile Wing, headquartered at Lowry AFB. In 1969 construction began on a top-secret satellite communication installation that became known as the Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado, later housing the U.S.-based operational center for satellite missile warning systems that provide 24-hour detection of intercontinental ballistic missile launches and atmospheric explosions. Local residents nicknamed the iconic white geodesic domes that protect the satellite dishes the “giant golf balls."
Following base closures and realignments in the 1980s and 1990s, Buckley’s tenants and military support units expanded, and in 2000, the USAF took control of the base, named it the Buckley Air Force Base, and embarked on extensive new construction (dormitories, chapel, fitness center, family housing units, medical clinics, etc.). Today, the base hosts the 460th Space Wing, which provides missile warning, missile defense, satellite command and control, and global surveillance operations. While initially retaining Air Force Base designation, the installation was renamed Buckley Space Force Base on June 4, 2021, following the establishment of the separate United States Space Force in December 2019 (which elevated the Air Force Space Command of the U.S. Air Force into this new armed service).
Many areas around Buckley Air Force Base have experienced persistent pollution and environmental damage. Base construction and activities contaminated resources such as water and soil, threatening the health of people who served on the base and lived in nearby communities. For example, following base training exercises, the landing tracks were washed with chemicals that seeped into the water table and, in turn, passed into the groundwater. Additionally, fire extinguishing practices polluted drinking water with retardant foam that contained hazardous perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Base structures, such as buildings and hangars, contained construction materials that posed health risks, such as lead-based paints and asbestos. Storage tanks leaked oil and fuels into the soil and waters. To address the damage and remedy these ongoing hazards, the Air Force has established bioventilation systems and recovery wells to mitigate contaminants present in the soil.
Sources
Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado/Denver Security Operations Center. "Buckley AFB, Colorado." November 28, 2011. Accessed July 17, 2020.“Buckley AFB.” GlobalSecurity.org. Accessed September 10, 2020.
“Buckley AFB–Contents.” AirForceUSA.org. Accessed September 10, 2020.
CBSDenver. “Air Force, State Health Department To Test Water Around Buckley AFB.” CBS Denver, February 7, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021
Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. “Buckley Annex.” Accessed March 22, 2021.
U.S. Space Force. “Buckley Space Force Base.” Accessed August 27, 2021.
Wikipedia. “Buckley Space Force Base.” Accessed June 12, 2021.
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