Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station

Garden of the Gods, a national natural landmark with towering red sandstone formations, lies just northwest of downtown and is one of the most visited free attractions in the state.

Colorado Springs is home to several major military installations, including Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, Shriver Space Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, and the United States Air Force Academy.

This makes it one of the most significant military cities in the country and a major driver of the local economy.

With access to world-class hiking, rock climbing, cycling, skiing, and whitewater rafting, all within a short drive, Colorado Springs has earned a reputation as an outdoor recreation hub.

Granite provides an enormous natural shield against blast effects, heat, radiation, and flying debris.

Instead of constructing thousands of feet of reinforced concrete, engineers could use the mountain itself as armor.

The mountain also allowed chambers to be excavated deep enough that roughly fifteen hundred to two thousand feet of rock could lie between portions of the facility and the surface.

Second was its location.

Colorado Springs was already the center of North American Air Defense Command operations.

Ultimately, approximately six hundred and ninety-three thousand to seven hundred thousand tons of granite were removed, creating about five point one acres of underground floor space.

More than ten thousand rock bolts were installed to stabilize the walls and ceilings, some of which were dozens of feet long.

Engineers discovered fractures and shear planes in portions of the mountain that had not been apparent during preliminary geological surveys.