[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 95 (Thursday, July 14, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S8297]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             60TH ANNIVERSARY OF WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE

 Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I would like to recognize the 
central role White Sands Missile Range, WSMR, has played in the defense 
of our Nation and our exploration of space, as we commemorate its 
establishment 60 years ago.
  I would also like to honor the men and women who have served and 
worked at White Sands. It is due to their hard work and dedication that 
White Sands has been, and remains a shining example of American 
scientific and technological innovation.
  On July 9, 1945, White Sands Missile Range was officially 
established. One week later, its place in history was assured with the 
detonation of the world's first atomic device at the Trinity site. This 
would prove a pivotal moment in the final defeat of the Japanese Empire 
and the course of world history. The Trinity test was to be the first 
of many historical achievements that will forever be linked to White 
Sands.
  At White Sands the technology was developed and matured that would 
propel the United States into space and to the Moon. Beginning with the 
reverse engineering and testing of captured German V2 rockets at the 
end of the Second World War, a base of knowledge was created there that 
would lead directly to the development of the Redstone rocket program 
and every rocket produced in the United States since. It was a Redstone 
Rocket which launched the first U.S. astronaut, Alan Shephard, into 
space on May 5, 1961. For these achievements, White Sands is often 
referred to as the ``Birthplace of the Race to Space.''
  White Sands continues its close connection to the space program today 
as a space harbor serving as the backup landing facility for the space 
shuttle. It also serves as the primary training area for NASA space 
shuttle pilots flying practice approaches and landings in the shuttle-
training aircraft.
  Over the last 60 years, White Sands Missile Range's contribution to 
the security of the United States has been significant. Most of the 
missile systems used by the U.S. military have been tested at WSMR. 
Like America's first guided anti-aircraft missile the Nike Ajax and the 
Patriot missile system made famous during the first gulf war, the 
missile systems tested at White Sands have played an important role in 
ensuring the technological superiority of the Armed Forces throughout 
the last six decades.
  Today, White Sands Missile Range continues its long tradition of 
excellence as a testing and development center for new technologies and 
is the largest military facility in the United States. I would like to 
thank the men and women, past and present, who have made White Sands a 
source of national pride. I have no doubt the work done at White Sands 
will continue to contribute to the national security of the United 
States and further the scientific achievements of our Nation.

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