Explore The Forgotten Rocket Bases That Once Sent Americans To The Moon

Advertisement

abandoned space

Roland Miller

Apollo Saturn V F1 Engine Test Stand, Edwards Air Force Base, California

The US' space program was one of the most impressive feats of human ingenuity in history - a series of events that captured the hearts and minds of everyone who witnessed them. The amount of research, creativity, and manpower that went into the space program was staggering, even when we look back on it decades later.

Advertisement

But as space technology moves further away from governmental oversight and towards commercialization, for better or worse, what happens to the history and relics of our nation's revered past in space exploration?

Many of the facilities - once used for research, testing, and launching - now sit dormant, decommissioned years ago, now rusting in the sun. Others have met a worse fate, having been demolished and lost forever.

They've almost all been forgotten, but photographer Roland Miller is trying to do something about that. For the past 25 years, Miller has traveled all across the US, photographing decommissioned NASA, Air Force, Army and commercial space launch and test sites in an effort to document them before they disappear.

These photographs will soon be being released in a book titled "Abandoned in Place," which features a diverse selection of Miller's work, spanning more than two decades. You can see more of Miller's work here or contribute to his Kickstarter campaign for the project.

Advertisement

"In the end, my main purpose is to preserve the remains of these historic sites in the only way possible, through photography," Miller said.