| White
Sands Space Harbor
1976 - 2011
Historic
American Engineering Record (HAER) Level II Documentation
From
1976 to 2011, NASA has operated and managed the White Sands
Space Harbor (WSSH) for astronaut training operations and as
an alternate landing facility for the Space Shuttle Program
(SSP). The WSSH facility is located on the U.S. Army White Sands
Missile Range (WSMR) in Dona Ana County, New Mexico, but is
managed by NASA personnel located at the White Sands Test Facility
(WSTF).
During
the SSP retirement and transition process, the WSSH facility
was permanently closed and the property was formally returned
to the U.S. Army. This property transfer was a federal undertaking
on federally-owned property and thus subject to compliance with
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966,
as amended. As part of the proposed undertaking, NASA properties
would be abandoned, relocated, or demolished, which was an adverse
effect to potentially historic properties.
Prior to permanently closing the WSSH, NASA performed two historic
architectural surveys to document the properties and evaluate
possible eligibility for listing on the National Register of
Historic Places (NRHP). This survey identified the WSSH Shuttle
Landing Historic District, with numerous contributing properties
within the district including three runway systems, control
tower, landing support structures, and navigational aid systems.
To
mitigate adverse effects to these historic properties, NASA
consulted with the State Historic Preservation Officer, and
others, and completed mitigation measures to document the district
to Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Level II standards.
This HAER Level II documentation included a narrative history,
large-format archival photography, and associated drawings,
plans, and historic images.
The
documentation provided on this website includes the completed
HAER Level II documentation. This documentation was also forwarded
to the National Park Service for review and concurrence, and
was provided to the Library of Congress for permanent storage.
The
following are all PDF documents.
White
Sands Space Harbor HAER Level II documentation (complete - 20.6
MB)
White
Sands Space Harbor HAER Level II documentation (individul sections)
|
