Robert Goddard, the "father of liquid-fueled rocketry," performed many of his experiments near Roswell, NM, during the 1920s and 1930s Photo courtesy Space Center, Alamagordo, and the Museum of New Mexico

New Mexico's Contributions to Space Exploration

This project documents, in text and photographs, the many space-related enterprises that have taken place in the southern New Mexico desert. The large expanse of uninhabited land, level terrain, and predominantly clear skies met the Army's requirements for year-round operation of a guided missile testing program, which was established as White Sands Proving Ground in 1945. Renamed White Sands Missile Range in 1958, today it supports NASA, industry, and Department of Defense projects. Holloman Air Force Base, adjacent to the missile range, has played a key role in space-related research also. It is home to the 46th Test Group, which operates the Air Force's 9.5 mile high-speed test track to test missile components, guidance systems, aircraft escape systems, and human responses to acceleration and deceleration. Much of the equipment used in the Apollo moon mission was tested at NASA's White Sands Test Facility, and its adjacent Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System ground terminal links scientists on earth with vehicles in space.

Originally submitted by: Joe Skeen, Representative (2nd District).

More Local Legacies... Additional New Mexico Local Legacies Local Legacies for all U.S. States

The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.