Roswell, NM

Question:  Has life from other planets visited Earth?

Answer:  Some people say “yes’; the U.S. government says “no.”

In 1947, a farmer who lived 40 miles from Roswell found some unusual metal-like wreckage in his field.  When he had a free day from farm work, he took the wreckage to the local sheriff for examination.  Eventually, the wreckage was the subject of a U.S. government investigation that concluded the wreckage was a portion of a weather balloon.  Years later, the government declassified the documentation from the investigation, revealing that the wreckage was from a U-2 test plane.  The controversy over what the wreckage really was continues.  Many people believe it was material from outer space, and witnesses provided affidavits describing the spacecraft and the living beings they had seen.

The UFO Museum and Research Center is an interesting place.  The many exhibits include copies of the affidavits from the original Roswell event, newspaper articles, government documents, and scientific opinions, as well as cartoons, artwork, and displays featuring alien beings.

 

Smokey, the bear

Question:  Was Smokey, the bear, real?

Answer:  The people say “yes.”  The U.S. Government agrees.  It made Smokey a representative of the U.S. Forest Service.

After our visit to the UFO Museum, Ted and I drove the Billy the Kid National Scenic Byway out of Roswell.  It goes through Capitan, NM where Smokey Bear is buried.  In 1950, some kids were playing with matches and started a huge forest fire.  A five-pound, two-and-a-half-month-old bear cub was rescued from the fire and named Smokey.  He was referred to as Smokey, the bear and his name later became Smokey Bear.  (The old joke about “What is Smokey the Bear’s middle name?” is inaccurate because he didn’t have a middle name.)  Smokey became the U.S. Forest Service spokesperson for fire safety.  When he died, he was buried in Capitan, NM near the place where he was first rescued.

 

Socorro, NM

Question:  What’s out there in the universe?

Answer:  Most people say “I’m not sure”; the U.S. government says “It’s worth a lot of money to find out.”

Ted’s and my last stop of the day was the Very Large Array, west of Socorro, NM.  I can’t help wondering why the U.S. government is reluctant to accept citizens’ reports of UFO sightings, but is willing to spend a lot of money to find out what’s in outer space.  The VLA cost $78.6 million to build in 1972 and $81.5 million to operate in 2016.  I find it ironic that Roswell and Socorro are barely 200 miles apart.

There are three reasons this site was selected for the VLA:

1.  It is a 55-mile wide, flat plateau, allowing for easier movement of the 27 antennae on railroad tracks.  They are moved four times each year.
2. The plateau is ringed by mountains (I counted nine ranges on a map of New Mexico), and this eliminates man-made radio interference.  (All electronic devices must be turned off when visiting the VLA.  Digital cameras may be used.)
3. The altitude of this site minimizes the blurring effect of the atmosphere.