GREAT V-2 Video

German V2 Rocket Launch Failures - Awesome video clips here

A Little About My New Job

As many of you know, I just took a position at the White Sands Missile Range Museum. First, though, I want to give a big Thank You to all of you who offered congratulations through Liss's blog - I appreciate the comments and all of the "good lucks!"

A few things about the museum and the new job. First of all, it's really cool. That may sound a bit juvenile but, really, there is no other way to describe it. What other job offers a chance to "play" with the rockets and missiles which led to the US space program!

Most important is the V-2, the system that began it all, captured from the Germans at the end of world war two. Here is a collage of the V-2:

If you notice, on the bottom photo, there are cutouts so that a visitor can see the interior of the rocket. Those extra pieces - part of the original German-made rocket skin - are all in a big box in storage.

About six miles from the cantonement area is the original launch site, where the German scientists - including Werner von Braun - and American military worked to launch the captured V-2's. The original gantry used in the final stages of launch preparation is still there. It is mounted on rails to be moved easily, and below the launch site is a blast pit. Below is the gantry with a Hermes rocket:

LC-33 is on the registry of National Historic Sites, however, since it is out on the range itself, is not accessible to museum visitors. The original concrete blockhouse is also there. It has ten foot walls and a twenty-seven foot thick pyramidal roof. It was supposed to withstand a rocket exploding on the pad, or a falling V-2 hitting it from 100 miles up.

In addition, the museum houses artifacts from the entire history of the range, from the earliest humans of the Tularosa Basin, through the ranching and mining history, the landing of STS-3, up to the newest testing of the Patriot and other missiles.

Like I said, a cool place to work, and I'm glad to be back after leaving the range thirteen years ago.

For Everything Good...

This has truly been an emotional weekend. On Friday afternoon, the final offer of a new job at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) came through - which I quickly accepted. I will now be the archivist and Assistant Director of the WSMR Museum. Since leaving WSMR in 1994, I have tried repeatedly to find a job which would allow me to return, always to no avail. It finally happened. I also will finally be able to use my degrees (BA and MA in History), which I have not been able to do.

With this good news comes a heavy heart. I love (for the most part) my current job. I have been working in higher ed now in some capacity for 8 years. I am going to miss the interaction with students and faculty - well, most faculty anyway - and the challenges I have faced. Most especially, though, I will miss the staff I work everyday with, especially the wonderful ladies that work for me, they are what is making this decision so difficult.

All good is tempered with something bad and this weekend certainly proved that. For the last few weeks, Liss and I have been thinking of baby names, how we would fit the newest addition into this house, what else we would need to buy before December. We were almost giddy with the excitement of welcoming another addition to our growing family, but we lost the baby Friday night. This terrible blow has left us both with such a huge range of emotions that, to be honest, I have not been able to understand how I feel. I'm deeply saddened but terribly angry at the same time. What has helped is having my three kids to help me realize just how lucky I actually am.

I know that as time goes by, things will get better, as they did with Angel, but until then any prayers you could send our way would help tremendously.