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Location. Overview. Large Buffer Zone and Controlled Remote Property for Hazardous Testing Moderate Desert Climate Ideal for Year-round Testing Existing Environmental Permits in Place for Hazardous Testing. Overview. Constructed in 1962-64 to Support Apollo Project
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Overview • Large Buffer Zone and Controlled Remote Property for Hazardous Testing • Moderate Desert Climate Ideal for Year-round Testing • Existing Environmental Permits in Place for Hazardous Testing
Overview • Constructed in 1962-64 to Support Apollo Project • Subsidiary Unit of NASA Johnson Space Center • Occupies 28 square miles of the SW Corner of WSMR • Annual Budget is ~ $90 Million • ~ 60 NASA and~ 630 Contractor Personnel
Mission Statement Our mission is to provide the expertise and infrastructure to test and evaluate spacecraft materials, components, and propulsion systems to enable the safe exploration and use of space.
Customer Base • Johnson Space Center - Shuttle Orbiter, Payloads, International Space Station, Crew Training, Constellation Program, and Special Projects • NASA Headquarters and Other Field Centers • Other US Government Agencies - Army, Navy, Air Force, DOD, DOE, EPA • Commercial Industry
Constellation: Test and Evaluation • Materials and Components Evaluation • Propulsion Systems Development • Orbital Debris • COPV
Constellation Support Launch Operations Row Control Engine Test Development Peacekeeper 4-stage Hardware Harvesting Launch Facility Design and Construction
Non-NASA • Air Force • Peacekeeper 4th Stage Demilitarization • Minuteman Upper Stage Life Tests • Mobile Oxygen Storage Tanks • Navy • Material Offgassing Tests • Army and DOE • Support Services, Cleaning, Calibration • Industry • Pratt And Whitney - Engine Development Tests • Aerojet - Engine Tests • SpaceX - Material OxygenCompatibility Test • Wendell Hull Associates - Material/Components OxygenCompatibility Test • ASTM G4 Community - Material/Components OxygenCompatibility Test
Facilities • Rocket Engine System Test Stands with Vacuum • Long-duration Large-altitude Simulation System • Full-scale Hypergolic and Cryogenic Propulsion Test Systems • Chemistry and Metallurgical Laboratories • Flight Component Repair, Refurbishment, and Test Facilities • High Energy Blast Facility • Oxygen-enriched Atmosphere Test Facilities • Hypergolic Materials and Components Test Facilities • Hypervelocity and Low Velocity Impact Test Facilities • White Sands Space Harbor Launch and Landing Site
Laboratories Test • Micrometeoroid/Debris Hypervelocity Impact Testing • Propellant and Explosion Hazards Assessment • Research on Flammability of Materials including Metals in Oxygen-enriched Atmospheres
Laboratories Test Components Failure Test and Analysis Molecular Analysis of Surface Effects using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy
Hardware Processing Critical Flight Hardware Assembly Flight Critical System Components Refurbishment Flight Hardware Production
Hardware Processing Precision Cleaning of Flight Critical Items Industrial and Scientific Imaging and Documentation Measurement Standards and Calibration Lab
Propulsion Test Shuttle PRCS Thruster Hot-fire Testing Cassini – Saturn Orbit Insertion Engine Glows during 3-h 20-min Continuous Firing Minuteman Qualification Firing inside Vacuum Test Cell
Propulsion Test Night Firing of Shuttle Forward RCS Primary and Vernier Thrusters
Propulsion Test Static Firing of DC-X with 4 LOX/Hydrogen RL10-A5 Engines DC-X Executes Vertical Landing at WSMR
White Sands Space Harbor • Orbiter Approach and Landing Training Facility • Restricted, Controlled Airspace • Long, Wide Lakebed Runways • Year-round Flying Weather • No “Bird-strike” Problems
White Sands Space Harbor • Landing Training for Astronauts • Landing/NAVAID Development • Procedure Development • Contingency STS Landing Site • Training Aircraft Hangared at El Paso Airport • Scheduled 250 Days for Flight Time • Average 190 Days Flown
Alternative Energy • WSTF Renewable Energy Program • Wind Power • Class 4 – 5 Wind Site • Install 3 – 4 MW to Provide Energy to WSTF (NASA funded) • Install 70 – 100 MW (third party investor) • Challenges: • Construct a Road up the Mountain • WSMR land (lease third party investor) • Funding • Solar Power • Southwest has Great Potential for Solar • Install at least 1 MW for WSTF (NASA funded, NASA land) • Install 100 MW (third party investor) • Challenges: • Resolve BLM Land Issues (thirdparty investor)
Educational and Community Outreach • NASA Explorer Schools in New Mexico • Design Competitions • FIRST Robotics Program • New Mexico MESA and MESA USA • Schools & Regional Science and Engineering Fairs • Science Education Alliance and the SCIAD Program • Educational Tours of WSTF • DC-9 Microgravity Fly High Program • X PRIZE and International Symposium for Personal Spaceflight • Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee • Dona Ana County Spaceport Educational Initiative • Hydrogen Technology Partnership (HyTeP) • Oxygen and Hydrogen Safe System Operations Training to NMSU and area hospitals • Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP)
Economic Impact of WSTF Installation • NASA White Sands Test Facility • Families 600 • Payroll $29.2 Million • Total Contract Value $58.0 Million • Budget $86.7 Million • Local Area Purchases and Subcontracts • Other New Mexico $1,641,879 • Las Cruces $1,430,069 • El Paso $1,276,890 • Albuquerque $ 834,820 • Alamogordo $ 56,788