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After more than two years of design and refurbishing work, the White Sands Missile Range Museum has reopened with a flourish. On Thursday, May 4, the doors of the completely renovated facility opened on a journey through time.
Beginning with the natural history at White Sands, through the early human residents, battles with Apache at the Hembrillo Basin and through to the Manhattan Project, early rocketry and the space program there is enough information and display for several hours of wandering through history.
Guests will also experience an interactive Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Center tailored to grade school educational standards. The exhibit has twice as much text than other larger museums due to the nature of the topics covered, such as how rockets work and nuclear fission.
Providing remarks and cutting the ribbon at the ceremony were U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range Garrison Commander Col. David A. Mitchell, Army Museum Enterprise Director Col. Bryan W. Hunt, and Frances F. Williams, President of the WSMR Foundation.
“As caretakers of the Tularosa Basin, we must tell the story of the rich and diverse history, so it is preserved and shared,” Museum Curator Darren Court, said during the ceremony. “The Army has had a long and diverse history in New Mexico dating back to when it was part of the northern territories of New Spain, and we hope to spark an interest in that story.”
Later Court expanded on the concept of the museum saying they have the responsibility to tell the story, both good and bad.
“It’s not just walking through missiles, we have the responsibility to tell the story of the history that occurred in the Tularosa Basin,” he said. “If the Army did something stupid, we’re going to tell you they did something stupid, we don’t do apologetic history.”
While closed, the Museum continued to modify and adjust exhibits and content including migrating the archival holdings into a new Archival Research Center.
The museum is open to the public 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily except for Sundays. For more information visit wsmrmuseum.com
