White Sands on Earth, Exploration of the Moon

White Sands on Earth, Exploration of the Moon

It’s a short drive down US70 from Ruidoso to Alamogordo, but in coming off the mountain it’s a huge change in climate.  Temperatures are close to 100 degrees F but since we have 50-amp electricity we’re able to use the AC to keep cool.


There are two reasons we came here – White Sands National Monument and The Space Museum.  The “white sands” are actually gypsum deposits washed down from the neighboring mountains and ground into a sandy consistency.  We get our first view coming down the mountain and it’s awesome – a layer of white stretching across most of the vista, beyond the city of Alamogordo.  After settling into our campground we drive the 17 miles south of town to the Monument and head into the (air conditioned – thank goodness) Visitor Center. 


We learn about the formation of the sands along with the geological history of the area from exhibits, a movie and Brenna, a ranger.  We’re so excited about this place and about learning more that we talk to Brenna about volunteer positions and discover they’re available, especially during the summer.  We also find that Brenna is leading a “sunset walk” into the dunes that evening.  We’d been planning on joining that walk and this strengthens our resolve.


We drive into the monument.  The Visitor Center is right on the edge of the gypsum dunes and, even after watching the movie, I’m not prepared for the views of white “mountains” right next to the road.  At one point we stop and I try to climb one of the dunes.  Wearing just my sneakers I lose about 6 inches for every foot I climb.  People are taking plastic “sleds” and riding down the dunes.  It’s tempting to join them, but since it’s very hot and also bright with the sun reflecting off the white gypsum, I decide not getting a sunburn trumps sledding and give it a pass.


We continue to the end of the road (it’s a loop) and on the way back we both get out and walk up one of the smaller dunes and enjoy the views and the ambiance – like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

We’re back at the Sunset Stroll starting point by 6:30pm and enjoy a very informative hour long walk with Ranger Brenna and about 15 other people.  We go up and down several dunes, spotting animal tracks and trying to identify them, and learning more about the plants and animals that survive in this arid environment.  For me, one of the highlights is when Brenna makes us all close our eyes while she strikes the sand, making a hole no more than a foot deep.  In the hole is water, which we find out has been tested and is about 200 years old.  If you go down further you can find water that’s been there since prehistoric times!


The stroll complete, we drive out of the Monument and back to Alamogordo, where I enjoy an “only in New Mexico” Green Chile Lasagna for dinner.


Sunday is our day for the space museum.  It includes a Planetarium and Cinema where we start our visit by watching 3 presentations back to back.  Planetariums usually put me to sleep, but this one holds my attention.  There’s a show about the night sky.  The projectionist starts by showing us the parking lot where we just entered, and the sky above it.  She then advances the time and we get to watch sunset, moonrise and identify stars and constellations.  She’s even able to rotate the sky so we can see what’s behind us!  I’ve always felt that the people who named the constellations were either drunk or crazy as I can’t make out the shapes, but this show helps me identify many constellations.

Between shows we’ve able to see an exhibit of photos of various locations on earth taken from space, as well as descriptive photos of the Mars rover, an ingenious device that is sending back pictures of the surface of the red planet.


A movie on Black Holes takes us inside one, and includes an explanation of the Einsteinian physics behind them.  As Vicky says afterwards “I still don’t understand them” – I’m not sure anyone really does, but the movie was entertaining. 


But it’s the last movie that we both agree is the best.  It’s about the Apollo 11 flight – the first landing on the moon.  While, like us, you’ve probably seen pictures and even videos about this, this is the most comprehensive documentary I’ve ever seen.  It takes us from the beginning of the preparations, through the buildup to the launch, including shots of the three astronauts with the families they left behind.  We see the countdown and takeoff, and scenes from inside the spacecraft as it travels a quarter of a million miles.  We see the undocking of the lunar module and the moon landing, both from the point of view of the astronauts and from the command center in Houston.

The shots of the activity on the moon are familiar, but as they take off and reconnect the lunar module with the command module, I’m almost biting my nails even though I know there’s a happy ending.  It’s amazing how they were able to rendezvous, let alone connect these two small objects in the vastness of space.  Later we share the anticipation of the ground crew as communication with the capsule is lost during re-entry; watch as the recovery ship travels to the splashdown point in the ocean, which had been moved several hundred miles because of weather; and see the smiling astronauts exit the capsule after it’s brought onto the ship.


An amazing movie – in fact 3 great shows – and we haven’t set foot in the museum itself yet.  We raid the vending machines for lunch (there’s no cafeteria) and start to tour the exhibits.  We see everything from the earliest rockets up to the latest exploration ships, and also pictures and biographies of the pioneers – from Copernicus to the latest astronauts – who have been inducted into the Space Hall of Fame.  We’re able to experience take off in various types of rockets (much tamer than the real thing, I’m sure) and to try landing a space ship using a simulator.  Even on the simplest level we both manage to crash it.  I also get to try on a NASA flight suit!


One whole floor of the museum is devoted to the latest inductee into the Hall of Fame – Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek.  It includes some of the innovations from that show that have actually become real in recent years, as well as an explanation why some – like “Beam me up, Scottie” will probably never be possible.  We spend at least an hour just on this exhibit, and are the last to leave before the museum closes.


Tomorrow we move on, but there’s much more to see in Alamogordo.  We’re both going to pursue volunteering at White Sands, and look forward to spending more time in this area.