North Oscura Peak facts for kids

North Oscura Peak is a tall mountain in New Mexico. It's part of the Oscura Mountains in Socorro County. This peak is home to a special site run by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). This site helps test new technologies for the United States Air Force. It stands very high, at about 7,976 feet (2,431 meters) above sea level. The site is located in the northern part of the White Sands Missile Range.

A Look Back in Time

North Oscura Peak was once an Army site for tracking missiles. Its buildings were made super strong. The walls are about 4 feet (1.2 meters) thick! They used 1,200 tons of concrete, set deep into the rock. This was to make sure they could survive rocket impacts.

In 1972, a large concrete area was built. It was for a system called LAD, which stood for Laser Acquisition and Direction. This was part of a test program during the Vietnam War. The Air Force wanted to see if lasers could find enemy anti-aircraft systems. But the program ended when the war finished.

Years later, in 1997, the site was updated. About $700,000 was spent to fix the buildings. They added a telescope, a special clean room, and new lasers. They also improved a receiver station at Salinas Peak.

What Happens at the Site

The facility at North Oscura Peak helps put together and test advanced systems. These systems include special sensors, tracking tools, and ways to fix how the atmosphere affects lasers. In 2002, the main goal was to help the Air Force track missiles better. They also wanted to learn how to send laser energy through the air to destroy them.

The Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate manages the site. Their main office is at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque. This is about 140 miles (225 km) north of the peak.

About 40 people work on the projects. Most of them are at Kirtland Air Force Base. Six to eight people work at the North Oscura Peak site. Four of them are there all the time.

Three main lasers are used at the site:

• A 30-watt laser for tracking.
• A 30-watt laser for adaptive optics.
• A 3-watt laser for scoring. This scoring laser acts like a practice version of a powerful weapon laser.

Airborne Laser Program

Atop North Oscura Peak, which is about 8,000 feet (2,438 meters) high, there's a 30-inch (762 mm) telescope. This telescope sends and receives laser light to and from Salinas Peak. Salinas Peak is another site about 35 miles (56 km) away.

Special tools measure how much Earth’s atmosphere changes the laser light. Then, "deformable optics" are used. These are mirrors that can change their shape. They help fix the distortions caused by the atmosphere.

The information from these tests helps with the Airborne Laser project. The Airborne Laser is a large cargo airplane. It has a powerful laser that can destroy ballistic missiles from hundreds of miles away. The Airborne Laser is designed to fly at about 40,000 feet (12,192 meters). But these tests happen on peaks that are between 8,000 and 9,000 feet (2,438 and 2,743 meters) high. The air is thicker at these lower heights. This allows scientists to collect data and then figure out how it would work at higher altitudes and longer distances.

Research from this site might be used on the first Airborne Laser planes. It could also help develop advanced weapons for other military aircraft.

During a test, North Oscura and Salinas Peaks are always talking to each other. A laser can only fire if several safety steps are in place at both locations. These are some of the safety rules to make sure everyone's eyes are safe.

Moveable Telescope Program

At first, a 30-inch (762 mm) telescope was used. It was one of the biggest refractor telescopes in the world. But in early 1999, it was replaced. A new, larger telescope was installed. This new telescope cost $2.5 million. It is 1 meter (40 inches) wide.

The first telescope stayed still. But the new telescope can move. It can tilt down 5 degrees and spin all the way around (360 degrees). This means it can track moving targets. This helps make tests more like real wartime situations. To hold the new telescope, a special steel tower was built in December.

Test Targets Program

By June 1999, the Air Force was able to fire its test lasers at different missiles. These missiles were launched at White Sands Missile Range. Three to four missile launches might happen each year.

However, scientists get even better information from a different "target." This target is a single-engine propeller plane called a Cessna Caravan. This test plane carries a special scoring board. This board has many detectors. These detectors can collect more complete information than what is available from the missiles.