March 24th 2018 - Alamogordo, NM

A full day in the city and we picked out 2 things to see.  The first was the White Sands National Monument.  It is an area that has white sand made by the breaking down of Gypsum  The mounds of sand may rise around 10 yards high and are on the move due to the daily winds.

 The mounds are often separated by areas of sparse grass and yucca brush.

 The grass and yucca plants help reduce the eventual erosion of the habitat.

A good day for a walk on the beach.

 The National Monument is like a day at the beach for many people except,

 there is no water.  Kids slide down the dunes for a few short seconds.  Sure does look like snow.

 The San Andreas Mountains are in the background.

 Sunshine, plenty of sand, a barbecue pit,  a table, and everyone is happy, except for those that met with the local sheriffs who set up a speed indicator with a posted speed limit...and caught them on the other side of the sand pile.

Next, we went to the New Mexico Museum of Space History on the other side of the city.
The museum also has a planetarium as well as an IMAX theater.  There are outside displays of rockets used during the space program.

Some of the information is focused on the next step...to Mars.

 Nice looking display but, you are looking at the inside wall of the elevator.

 

 This is the enclosure for HAM, the first chimp to take a ride on January 31, 1961 on a Mercury Capsule.

 You are looking at the guidance system for an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)

 Hope this helps.

The Museum established in 1976 has inducted many of the pilots and astronauts that helped in the development of the space program. Some may remember Chuck Yeager setting speed records. The Museum also inducts members of foreign countries and displays from Russia were on site.

 The Portable Life Support System weighing 70 pounds was designed to allow the astronauts to be on the surface of the moon for up to 7 hours.

 There was even a display for the Trekkies.

It was a great day in the City of Alamogordo.  Nearby is the White Sands Missile Range which shares a boundary with the White Sands National Monument, but we didn't get there.  Also a little further away is the location of the first detonation of an Atomic Bomb on July 16, 1945, sometimes referred to as the Trinity site.  This was just 3 weeks before the end of WWII.