The Curse of SLC-6

Download or read book The Curse of SLC-6 written by London Vallery and published by London Vallery. This book was released on 2022-03-16 with total page 121 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From lucky last meals to kissing flags, rituals and superstition have always been a special tradition for the United States space program and its members. However, the spread of a rumored Native American curse on the nation's premier launch site was a first for the industry. Space Launch Complex- 6 (SLC-6), on what is now Vandenberg Space Force base in Lompoc, California, was constructed in 1966 to be the most sophisticated launch complex in the world, but, despite robust government funding, found itself plagued with over four decades of mission cancellations, collapses, floods, fires, and deaths. Amongst airmen, a rumor emerged that SLC-6 had been built atop of a Native American burial site belonging to the local Chumash tribe and thus began a contentious relationship between the future of America's space program and indigenous spirituality. Following from the initial construction of the launch facility to the declaration of a US government official that the site had been hexed, this thesis deconstructs how the rumored "Curse of SLC-6" reflects a larger and inherent tension between the perceptions of Native American identity and the visions of what a prosperous America looks like. This thesis analyzes significant historical points during the mid-late twentieth century including the fear of Soviet Espionage, the rise of the American Indian Movement, and the revival of the Mystic Native Trope in an attempt to understand the socio-political environment of Lompoc that allowed this rumor to flourish. Utilizing local newspapers, private Vandenberg archives, and exclusive interviews with base officials and Chumash elders, this research uncovers never before known information that upsets decades of misreporting on this conflict. Ultimately, this research concludes how the development of the US space program is inherently tied to the concept of national imperialism and is designed as an antithesis to indigenous communities.