Camp Century

Camp Century is an abandoned Arctic United States military scientific research base in Greenland, situated 205 km (127 mi) east-northeast of Pituffik Space Base. When built, Camp Century was publicized as a demonstration for affordable ice-cap military outposts and a base for scientific research. According to documents declassified in 1996, Camp Century was a preliminary camp for Project Iceworm, whose goal was to install a vast network of nuclear missile launch sites that could survive a first strike. Missiles were never fielded at the facility and obtaining the necessary consent from the Danish Government to do so was never broached. The camp operated from 1959 until 1967. It consisted of 21 tunnels with a total length of 9,800 feet (3.0 km) and was powered by a nuclear reactor. Project Iceworm was aborted after realization that the ice sheet was not as stable as originally assessed, and that the missile basing concept would not be feasible. The reactor was removed and Camp Century later was abandoned. However, hazardous waste remains buried under the ice and has become an environmental concern.