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White Sands Missile Range Museum

Atomic. Missile. Space.
Birthplace of American Ages.

Notice: In accordance with the President’s Executive Order “PROVIDING FOR THE CLOSING OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ON DECEMBER 24, 2025, AND DECEMBER 26, 2025,” the White Sands Missile Range Museum will be closed from 24-26 December 2025 for the Christmas holiday. The Museum’s status will be as follows:

Monday, 22 December: Open 9am-4pm
Tuesday, 23 December: Open 9am-4pm
Wednesday, 24 December: Closed
Thursday, 25 December: Closed
Friday, 26 December: Closed
Saturday, 27 December: Open 9am-4pm

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White Sands Missile Range Museum

White Sands Missile Range Museum
On 14 October 2023, three identical payloads were launched aboard Black Brant IX sounding rockets during the Annular Eclipse at White Sands Missile Range. The first payload was launched 40 minutes prior to the peak eclipse, the second at peak, and the third 40 minutes past peak. This campaign was named Apophis after the cosmic world serpent from ancient Egyptian cosmology. The serpent pursues the sun god Ra, and every so often, nearly consumes the sun disc, resulting in an eclipse. The Apophis rockets aim to collect data to answer the following questions: 1. Does the eclipse shadow directly seed discernible irregularities in the mid-latitude ionosphere? 2. What are the associated vertical length and time scales of these irregularities? 3. What are the impacts of the Temperature Gradient Instability (TGI) and Gradient Drift Instability (GDI) in seeding small scale (10s to 100s of meters) ionospheric irregularities in the presence of solar eclipse? 4. How do the various regions of the ionosphere behave differently at small scales in response to the overall cooling effect of the thermosphere? This was the first time for simultaneous multipoint spatio-temporal in-situ observations of electrodynamics and neutral dynamics associated with solar eclipses. The main payload instrumentation included Langmuir probes, electric field probes, magnetometers, ionization gauges, and accelerometers. The simultaneous multipoint measurements were facilitated by four SWARM deployables ejected from each payload that are instrumented with a Langmuir probe, magnetometer, and accelerometer. These experiments will be followed up by another series of sounding rocket launches at Wallops Flight Facility during the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. The principle investigator for this project is Dr. Aroh Barjatya from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Co-Investigator institutions include the Air Force Research Labs, Dartmouth College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Colorado-Boulder. Video courtesy of the Visual Information Branch, White Sands Missile Range. Visit Us Online! Website: www.wsmrmuseum.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/wsmr.museum Instagram: www.instagram.com/wsmr.museum Youtube: www.youtube.com/@wsmr.museum RegNo. 2024.001.001
This interview, conducted on 15 August 1989 at the Trinity Site on White Sands Missile Range, features Kenneth T. Bainbridge and Robert R. Wilson recollecting their memories of the Trinity Test and the work that went towards the dawn of the atomic age. Their commentary on the preparations for and detonation of the Trinity bomb, c. 1944-1945, was sparked almost solely by the surviving structures at the site and included: -Post-blast sample collection; -Test site selection; -Jumbo blast containment cannister; -Julian Mack's camera system; -Quality of life at base camp; -US Air Force overflights and bombing practices; -Effect of the blast on base camp. Visual documentation included: -Ground Zero; -Jumbo; -West 800 camera bunker; -Base Camp; -McDonald Ranch House; -West 10,000 observation bunker. View the entire transcript of this program at https://wsmrmuseum.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RU9531_ManhattanProject_Session013.pdf Dr. Kenneth T. Bainbridge (1904 - 1996) was a Harvard University physicist who conducted early research on cyclotrons, early particle accelerators that could test the nature of subatomic particles. Upon joining the Manhattan Project, Dr. Bainbridge was appointed as the Director of the Trinity Test event. This event was conducted in the New Mexican desert on 16 July 1945, and resulted in the detonation of "the Gadget," the world's first atomic bomb. After the war, he returned to Harvard and continued work on particle physics. Dr. Robert R. Wilson (1914 - 2000) was an early pioneer in developing cyclotron technology and joined the Manhattan Project during World War II. He obtained his BA, MA, and PhD from UC Berkeley. During the Manhattan Project, Dr. Wilson served as the chief of the Cyclotron Group (R-1) and was later appointed to head the entire Research (R) Division. After the war, Dr. Wilson continued his work on particle accelerating technology and advocated for the peaceful control and use of nuclear technology. The Manhattan Project Videohistory Collection, 1987-1990, Record Unit 9531. Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives. Reproduced with permission.
This NASA video features the many teams and individuals who worked for more than a decade to fulfill President John F. Kennedy's pledge to put a man on the moon and safely return him to Earth. From a budget spinning out of control to working with the constellation of contractors brought in to work on the program, this video gives an overview of the challenges that NASA faced and overcame in the Apollo Program. Visit Us Online! Website: www.wsmrmuseum.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/wsmr.museum Instagram: www.instagram.com/wsmr.museum Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/WhiteSandsMissileRangeMuseum RegNo. 97.041.595
What's Up at White Sands provides a brief glimpse into the world at White Sands Missile Range. From a solar furnace that can melt solid steel to advanced guided "smart" bombs, WSMR provides a 4,000 square mile laboratory where the United States Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration can test and perfect groundbreaking technologies and computer systems. Visit Us Online! Website: www.wsmrmuseum.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/wsmr.museum Instagram: www.instagram.com/wsmr.museum Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/WhiteSandsMissileRangeMuseum RegNo. 97.041.583
The High Speed Test Track at Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo, New Mexico, served as one of the most important instruments in the history of studying the effects of acceleration, deceleration, and momentum on the human body. Colonel John P. Strapp, USAF, was one of the test track pilots assigned to Holloman AFB. In addition to being known as the fastest man on Earth, COL Strapp's work directly led to the design of modern seatbelts, pilot ejection seats, and HALO insertion techniques. Visit Us Online! Website: www.wsmrmuseum.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/wsmr.museum Instagram: www.instagram.com/wsmr.museum Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/WhiteSandsMissileRangeMuseum RegNo. 97.041.560
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