Author Archives: WSMR Jenn

White Sands Missile Range Commander Biography – COL Andrew R. Morgan

Colonel Andrew R. Morgan38th White Sands Missile Range Commander24 June 2025 – Present Colonel Andrew R. Morgan, an Army Astronaut and Space Operations Officer, assumed Command of White Sands Missile Range on 24 June 2025. Colonel Morgan most recently served as Commander, U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll and U.S. Army Garrison, Kwajalein Atoll in the RepublicContinue reading “White Sands Missile Range Commander Biography – COL Andrew R. Morgan”

White Sands Missile Range Hall of Fame Biographies

Patrick QuinlanChief of Targets Control BranchServed 1954 – 1996Inducted 2024 In the 1960s, working as a staff engineer and then senior engineer, Quinlan was responsible for systems modernization, purchasing them, their evaluation, and installation. When a requirement came up to support Lance missile tests and some of the contracted equipment wasn’t ready yet, Quinlan designed,Continue reading “White Sands Missile Range Hall of Fame Biographies”

Nominations Open for White Sands Missile Range Hall of Fame

White Sands Missile Range is now accepting nominations from all sources until March 31, 2025, for its Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was established in 1980 to honor members of the WSMR workforce, military and civilian, who made singularly significant contributions to the mission on the Range and to the surrounding communities. ItContinue reading “Nominations Open for White Sands Missile Range Hall of Fame”

Special Mission 16: Fat Man and the Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki

After the first plutonium bomb was tested at Trinity Site on 16 July 1945, the next available weapon was the Little Boy, a uranium gun-type atomic bomb. Little Boy was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 by the Enola Gay, piloted by Lieutenant Colonel Paul W. Tibbets. Fat Man was the only other atomic weapon used in history. It was dropped from Bockscar (also spelled Bock’s Car), a modified B-29 Superfortress bomber commanded by Major Charles W. Sweeney, on Nagasaki, Japan, 9 August 1945.

Guiding Physicists Through White Sands Missile Range

By Phil Esser, Architectural Historian, Epsilon SystemsOriginally published in The Epsiloneer, Epsilon Systems News, 2023 Issue 3 On May 6th, Epsilon Systems’ client site architectural historian, Phil Esser, volunteered to provide an escort for VIPs visiting White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) in southern New Mexico. Phil was fortunate to be able to provide a tourContinue reading “Guiding Physicists Through White Sands Missile Range”

Misty Castle: High-Explosive Nuclear Effects Simulations at White Sands Missile Range

Once military officials began to understand the many hazards and variables that accompany a nuclear blast, such as intense heat, radiation and fallout, and the explosion itself, they initiated programs designed to protect their own forces and citizens. Protective personal equipment, hardened shelters, and radiation-resistant armored vehicles became a standard part of a military unit’s table of equipment. However, in order to ensure that this equipment is actually able to do what it is designed for, rigorous testing is required.

White Sands Missile Range Archaeologist Wins Top Army Award for Preserving History in Complex Installation Environment

At White Sands Missile Range – the birthplace of America’s rocket program, playing a significant role in our nation’s history, and continuing to be a significant military installation today – Bill Godby has stood out as a champion of historic preservation within a complex environment of both archaeological sites and historic structures. Godby, an archaeologist with the Environmental Division at WSMR, was selected as the recipient of the 2023 Secretary of the Army Environmental Award for his achievements in cultural resource management.

White Sands Missile Range Museum to Reopen 4 May

Since the museum’s closure in June 2020 due to the coronavirus quarantine, we have continued to be closed as we installed a new permanent exhibit. However, we are excited to announce that the WSMR Museum will be reopening to the public on Thursday, 4 May 2023. The opening ceremony will begin at 9am at theContinue reading “White Sands Missile Range Museum to Reopen 4 May”