The MHT folks quickly fixed the leak so the mission could be accomplished that day. Once the TE was in position over the silo, the hour-long process of lowering the missile into the silo began. It lowers the missile 82 feet from the TE into the silo using about a mile's worth of cable. During this time many of the people on site ate lunch as they waited for the missile to be lowered into the silo. Members of MMT are responsible for the basic reconfiguration of a missile recently placed in a silo.
Maintainers gain access to the silo through the personnel access hatch.
During the hour the missile descended into the silo, maintainers lowered themselves and their equipment down this shaft. When the missile had settled into the missile suspension system rubber ring that balances it at the bottom of the silo, Senior Airmen Dave Reed and Rodney Bobo, an MMT boardman and cageman, respectively, climbed into the utility cage, donned safety harnesses and helmets and began their descent into the silo. Tad Wagner, an MMT team chief, also buckled into a safety harness and helmet, but stayed at the top of the downstairs opening to provide instructions and act as the communication link between the airmen disconnecting the sling rods that lowered the missile and the people topside. Once MMT finished their work, finishing up was a matter of reversing many of the processes and cleaning up the site. The work done downstairs, the tarps were packed up, the launcher-closure door was replaced, the TE lowered and it was time to return to base.