The Clandestine Cosmic Waystation: Michigan's Keweenaw's Secret Spaceport

The Clandestine Cosmic Waystation: Michigan's Keweenaw's Secret Spaceport

Ever ponder who was piloting spacecrafts in the '60s without so much as a peep? You won't believe this, but it looks like good ol' Michigan might've been the place!

Way up there in the frigid reaches of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, there lies an unassuming outpost known as the Keweenaw Rocket Range. There's a good chance you haven't heard a peep about it, but that's because it was pulling some real under-the-radar shenanigans during the '60s. Operating in ninja-like secrecy between 1964 and 1971, it was all under the watchful eyes of NASA and the University of Michigan. This little corner of the country was one of six such clandestine spots sprinkled across North America. Now, you're probably thinking, 'Michigan? UFOs?' Stranger things have happened, right? So let's dive into the heart of the matter. What made this place such a big deal? Besides being home to a hush-hush space program, it was all about gathering inland weather data. Kewl, huh?

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

Written by Friendly Jane

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