Opening with a review of the historical highlights of the Tularosa Basin, paintings of Spanish Conquistadors, Indians, and wagon trains. Excellent footage of a prospector with his mule walking across the desert. Shows cattle and green farm lands of the Tularosa Basin in the early years. Later as years of drought conditions persisted scenes of wind blown tumble weeds, abandoned homes, corrals, fencing, and bleached bones of cattle as the Tularosa Basin in New Mexico became a dust bowl (dustbowl). Shows entrance to abandoned mine.
In 1945 a steel tower was erected at a location in the Tularosa Basin named the Trinity Site. Scenes of the first atomic bomb explosion in history, code name Trinity, informal nickname “The Gadget”. Scenes of an early-day V-2 rocket test. Newspaper headline reads “Great War Ends!” and news reporters rush from President Truman news conference (only shows President Truman speaking, no audio). Long shots of crowds celebrating end of WW II. There follow brief sequences of technological "firsts" achieved at White Sands , more scenes of V-2 missile launches, missile-borne camera shots of the earth, the Viking missile, and high-speed sled tests. Shows test launch of the Army's Corporal missile, the Honest John missile, the Nike-Ajax missile, the Nike-Hercules missile, the Hawk missile, the Little John missile, the Lacrosse missile, the Sargent missile, and the Nike Zeus missile. shows scientist, engineers, chemist, technicians, office workers and machinist using instruments, early computers, drafting tables, machine tools and welders. Street scenes of people and automobiles in a small New Mexico town near White Sands Range in the mid-1950's. Low aerial view of the modern buildings at White Sands Missile Range. Shows delivery, preparation, test launch, and tracking of Redstone missile at White Sands Missile Range or White Sands Test Site.
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