Posted by /-/ooligan Keep in-mind that it may not have been a traditional observatory owned & managed by a civilian research organization -- it could have been a military (Army or Air Force) optical tracking & filming station used to track missile launches from the White Sand Missile Range. The fact that there doesn't seem to be any real remains of support facilities for staff (sleeping, facility maintenance, cafeteria, etc.) that researchers at the site would need does tend to suggest to me that it may have been military --- only staffed for the duration of rocket/missile launches, with personnel brought & removed via helicopter (& hence the wind-direction indicator at the 'science camp' which would likely have also been a helicopter landing zone.. Doing a Google search using the specific name of the peak or mountain range should ID the former user & use. If you want help with that, post location details, or PM them to me. /-/ooligan |
Posted by BoredFun27 I was going to mention the helicopter aspect but I got beat to it. I concur with ooligan that helicopters seem like the probable mode of transportation, based on your description. |
Posted by NMPatriot Good photo set! Don't really have a whole lot to add. I think the others that have replied are spot-on that it's an old abandoned tracking station. This one isn't the only one in the area of similar construction. Did you happen to notice the benchmark in the concrete foundation? There's one at the site set by the Defense Mapping Agency which gives a pretty good clue on the construction date (1970's). I won't give away much beyond that because giving specifics on the BM could easily lead others to the site. There's (at least) one other adjacent to White Sands on a peak that's not quite as high in elevation. At that site they put the observatory up on a corrugated steel & concrete pillar to gain additional elevation with steel stairs to get up to the observation point. That site has a concrete structure directly next to it. Next time you come back down this way hit me up! We'll grab something to eat and I'll join you for some night photography. |
Posted by IndoAnomaly This. This right here is the shit I keep coming back to this site to see. Very very cool. I have a few observatories in the west mapped out and haven't found the time to get out to them yet. Thanks for letting me live vicariously through you. |
Posted by /-/ooligan https://ags02.sec....c5b960eb1cf9145738 |
Posted by /-/ooligan Keep in-mind that it may not have been a traditional observatory owned & managed by a civilian research organization -- it could have been a military (Army or Air Force) optical tracking & filming station used to track missile launches from the White Sand Missile Range. /-/ooligan |
Posted by Delver of Yore Does the army still use observatories like that today? |
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