
US Missile History during the Cold War is quite expansive, due to a frenzy of activity during that time. However, today's discussion is around an incident that's little discussed despite being potentially problematic for international relations. This is the history of the Athena Missile Flight #122, which overshot its destination and landed in the Mapimi Desert in Mexico.
This is the story of the conditions leading up to the failed launch, the political environment in which it occurred, and of the clean up and cooperation between the US and Mexican governments. As is usual with the channel, there's also an element of the strange and bizarre in this story; a tale of an area of the Mapimi Desert with stories that rival the Bermuda Triangle. This is the zona de silencio, or Mapimi Silent Zone. The history of strange events and tourism of the Silent Zone is almost inextricably linked to the launch of the Athena missile and the cleanup which must have seemed highly mysterious to the locals who saw the workers arrive in unmarked transport donning hazmat suits.
I truly hope you enjoy this video essay/mini documentary about the event and learn something interest, but both positive and negative feedback is welcome at all times.