Johnson Space Center
On the outskirts of Las Cruces, lies the White Sands Test Facility, a satellite facility to the Johnson Space Center. The facility was created in 1962 to test propulsion systems in the Apollo Program - Lunar Module landing engines, launch escape systems, the Viking Mars landers, and the Space Shuttle are just a few of the programs supported by WSTF.
The White Sands Test Facility was originally established to provide a central test location for Apollo Program propulsion systems and integrated testing. The eighty-eight square mile portion of White Sands Missile Range was selected in 1962. The site performs propulsion tests in static test stands and live fires on the nearby missile range as the official Johnson Space Center (JSC) Propulsion Systems Development Facility.
~Joseph T. Page II
New Mexico Space Trail
View Larger Map |
Official Website: Johnson Space Center |