White Sands Missile Range

 military, draw only border

www.wsmr.army.mil/

White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), formerly known as the White Sands Proving Grounds, is a rocket range in New Mexico operated by the United States Army. The range covers an area of almost 3,200 mi² (8 287 km²), approximately three times the size of Rhode Island, making it the largest military installation in the United States. The range is located in Doña Ana County, New Mexico and Otero County, New Mexico. It is mostly within the Tularosa Basin (a valley between the Organ Mountains, San Andres Mountains and the Sacramento Mountains) but it also includes the northern reaches of the Jornada del Muerto. WSMR is located on U.S. 70 between Alamogordo and Las Cruces; the highway is sometimes closed for safety reasons while tests are conducted on the missile range.

The Range gets its name from the white sands that are spread over many miles in the area. These sands are composed of gypsum crystals, which have leached out of the surrounding mountains. A distinctive ecology survives in this desert. Adjacent to the Range, but not part of its active perimeter, is the White Sands National Monument. The swath of white sands extends from WSMR, through White Sands National Monument, and into nearby Holloman Air Force Base. This large expanse of bright sand is clearly visible from earth orbit, especially since the area is rarely clouded over.

WSMR and its surrounding areas are home to many species of animals, including mule deer and even a few exotic animal species, such as the oryx, which have been introduced into the vast high desert environment over the years. As one might expect from the topography and climate, the missile range is also home to many species of small game, including the jackrabbit and coyote.

The Range was formally established on 9 July 1945. On July 16, 1945 the world's first test of an atomic weapon was conducted at what is now called Trinity site, within what was then the boundaries of the range, and part of the Jornada del Muerto. V-2 rockets captured in Germany at the end of World War II were taken to WSMR for reverse engineering by the Hermes project, and as part of Operation Paperclip many V-2 rocket scientists were brought as well. In spring 1945, JPL employees test-fired the first Private F missile at White Sands Proving Grounds. The Ordnance Corps of the United States Army, through its "ORDCIT" project in conjunction with GALCIT, established the range, effective 9 July 1945, for testing the MGM-5 Corporal missile. Today, seventy miles to the south, the US Army Air Defense Center, in Fort Bliss, Texas and WSMR form a contiguous swath of territory devoted to the art. Fort Bliss has an outdoor museum display of rocket-propelled missiles.

The site is also featured in some works of fiction. The story of the last annexation of territory by the base was the background for the Edward Abbey novel, Fire on the Mountain. The range's desert setting was used during the filming of the 2007 film Transformers as a substitute for the Middle-Eastern nation of Qatar

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