Placido TrujilloMachinist and InventorDivision Chief of Building and GroundsServed 1947 – 1978Inducted 2018 In August 1947, 23-year-old Placido Trujillo drove down to southern New Mexico from his hometown of Belen, NM, on his way to a new job as a skilled machinist at the Alamogordo Air Field, now called Holloman Air Force Base. Never havingContinue reading “White Sands Missile Range Hall of Fame Biographies”
Author Archives: WSMR Jenn
WSMR Accepting Nominations for Hall of Fame
White Sands Missile Range is now accepting nominations from all sources until the end of March for its Hall of Fame.
White Sands Missile Range Commander Biography – BG Andrew R. Morgan
Brigadier General Andrew R. Morgan38th White Sands Missile Range Commander24 June 2025 – Present Brigadier General Andrew R. Morgan, an Army Astronaut and Space Operations Officer, assumed Command of White Sands Missile Range on 24 June 2025. BG Morgan most recently served as Commander, U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll and U.S. Army Garrison, Kwajalein Atoll inContinue reading “White Sands Missile Range Commander Biography – BG 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 Hosts Museum Grand Reopening After Renovations
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. (May 4, 2022) – On May 4, the White Sands Missile Range Museum reopened its doors to the public with a grand reopening celebration. Long overdue for a celebration, the museum has been closed since the pandemic struck in the Spring of 2020.