White Sands Missile Range
known locally as WSMR and often pronounced "whiz-murr", is nearby, with an interesting museum that covers some of the area's history as well as examples of some of the rockets and missiles that have been launched there. Generally open 10-3 or 8-4, but call +1 575 678-8824 to verify hours; as it is on the territory of the Air Force base, closures or restrictions due to security concerns are possible.When you call the WSMR museum, you might ask about the next tour of Trinity Site, the remote area at the north of the range where the first atomic bomb was tested. There are occasional public tours, usually in fall, that are a sobering experience although not a hazardous one -- radiation levels at the site are generally back down to natural background. Probably not available to non-US citizens, but inquire.
Continuing on the space/science theme, the New Mexico Museum of Space History (http://www.nmspacemuseum....) in Alamogordo is worth a visit; the International Space Hall of Fame and a piece of lunar rock are among the attractions.
