A Dynamic Military Facility Evolving from the early days of V-2 rocket testing to the test site of cutting-edge military and space-related components, White Sands Missile Range continues to provide options available no where else in the world and remains a significant contributor to the Las Cruces economy. Despite cancellation of a large troop increase at White Sands, the facility remains at the forefront of America’s equipment and weapons testing, as well as testing by other allied nations.

The planning for an increase of 3,800 deployable troops and the spending of $200 million in anticipated construction was placed on indefinite hold last summer, but the options and statistics gathered by White Sands personnel, working closely with regional governments and private entities will be in place for the next such opportunity. The important factor is that White Sands has a very solid mission. In 2008, the installation took on the additional assignment of supporting deployable troops with the arrival of the 2nd Engineer Battalion. The battalion currently numbers about 550 and will grow to about 700 by 2012. Nearby Holloman Air Force Base is planning for an additional thousand personnel and Fort Bliss is experiencing significant growth.

White Sands is currently preparing for testing NASA’s Orion Abort System. As the space shuttle program winds down, the Constellation program is ramping up. Eries rockets will launch the Orion crew module from Kennedy Space Center and later the Altair Lunar Lander toward their various missions. Astronaut safety, always a key issue, has led to the Orion Launch Abort System, which would carry the astronauts to safety during an emergency, either on the launch pad or during the ascent stage of the launch. Five tests are planned for White Sands – two pad abort tests and probably three ascent abort tests.

Among the assets at White Sands is the capability to study and test microwaves. This specialized facility investigates how weapons can be hardened to withstand a low-power microwave attack or to counter the potential use of microwaves by terrorists to disrupt a facility like an airport. High-powered microwaves are being studied as an option for detecting Improvised Explosive Devises (IED). A set of roads at White Sands is specifically designated for research on IEDs.

High energy lasers have been tested at White Sands for years, but as technology advances, the equipment is changing from the bulky requirements of the past to smaller, lighter, solid state equipment.

NASA is a tenant agency residing on the army property and its White Sands Test Facility conducts propulsion and material testing. The agency oversees the Space Harbor, which includes two seven-mile runways for optional Space Shuttle landings. Much of NASA’s shuttle pilot training has taken place at White Sands.

The base consists of 3200 square miles and is adjacent to another 1500 at Fort Bliss. White Sands comprises 17% of the land owned by the army and combined with Fort Bliss accounts for 25% of the army’s landmass. The missile range is a multi-service facility and is also used by foreign countries, primarily Germany and Japan.

The land mass is shaped like a bowl, allowing specialized test instrumentation to be sited in the surrounding mountains for documenting test activities. There is minimum encroachment on the range from communities, although the towns of Alamogordo, Tularosa and Carrizozo border the range. Missiles can be fired within the range or target rockets can be fired from Fort Wingate near Gallup. As required, White Sands personnel can also perform their mission of testing and monitoring from Alaska, Pacific Ocean test sites or from foreign countries. The facility is even involved with the firing of rockets carrying research equipment into Earth orbit, allowing less expensive and more frequent research options than trying to coordinate with shuttle missions.

With its own chemistry and metallurgical labs, the facility can create test environments that simulate high temperatures, wind, rain and even lightning for checking the effects on materials and electronics. There are recoverable drone targets and even moving targets suspended from cables stretched between mountains

From the J.W. Cox Range Control Center at White Sands, an FAA-certified Air Traffic Control Center, personnel from Holloman Air Force Base monitor the air space for safety purposes and to control traffic in the restricted military airspace above the missile range. During periods of inactivity, non-military high altitude flights are allowed to pass through the air space in specific flight corridors.

A new endeavor brings together the area’s three military installations – White Sands Missile Range, Fort Bliss and Holloman Air Force Base, for effective scheduling. The respective commanders work to best utilize the area’s important military assets of land mass, air space and electronic frequency.

On the north end of the expansive missile range in an area originally called the Alamogordo Bombing Range, the first atomic bomb was exploded at the Trinity Site on July 9, 1945. The bomb was assembled at the McDonald Ranch House, 2 miles from the detonation site. This area is now a national historic landmark. The ranch house was restored in 1984 and a time capsule containing papers and photos of the restoration was buried that same year. The capsule will be opened during the fall 2009 tour.

At the end of World War II, the V-2 rockets captured from Germany were brought to the bombing range and about 70 of them fired. Some carried cameras and even monkeys, and valuable information was gained for future space activities. Work on the rockets took place in a blockhouse built to withstand an attack and this building has also been preserved as a National Historic Landmark.

About 1,500 people live on post, and housing is managed by an outside contractor. There are a wide variety of facilities for such a small military community, including a K-8 school.

The massive missile range contains an intriguing array of eco systems from pine forests to ancient lava flows and gypsum sand dunes. In addition to the expected indigenous desert critters, there are around 4,000 oryx roaming the grounds. The large African antelope has done quite well and there are scheduled hunts for those who cannot afford a Kalahari safari.

For an educational family outing or history lesson, White Sands has a rocket display and a museum highlighting the numerous testing programs that have occurred since the facility was established. Twice a year tours are organized to the Trinity atomic bomb detonation site and the associated McDonald ranch house. Annual visits are also arranged to the gravesite of writer Eugene Manlove Rhodes, who wrote about the early days of the Old West as it really was. The annual Bataan Memorial Death March now attracts around 4,200 participants. The history of the World War II episode is kept alive and camaraderie is one of the lessons stressed with those who attend and participate.