49th MXG Load Crew of The of Quarter Award

Airman 1st Class Carlos Blanco, 49th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron raises an AIM-9 Sidewinder into an F-22A Raptor while competing in the Quarterly Load Crew competition, April 10, at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Michael Means)

49th MXG Load Crew of The of Quarter Award

Senior Airman Ray Wornat, 49th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, inspects an AIM-9 Sidewinder during the 49th Maintenance Group, Quarterly Load Crew competition, April 10, at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. Squadron finalists are judged on their accuracy, efficiency, and speed. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Michael Means)

49th MXG Load Crew of The of Quarter Award

Airman 1st Class Carlos Blanco, 49th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, checks the status of an F-22A Raptor before loading the missle during the Quarterly Load Crew competition, April 10, at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Michael Means)

Shuttle landing - 1982

The Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia lands in 1982 in southern New Mexico after seven days in space, where the astronauts tested their ability to deploy and capture objects, and even keep house. On April 15, 1982, the U.S. House of Representatives renamed the Strip, where Columbia landed, to White Sands Space Harbor. NASA lost the Columbia and seven astronauts on Feb. 1, 2003, when it broke apart on reentry over Texas. (photo courtesy of New Mexico Museum of Space History)

AK F-22 A Raptor departure

An F-22A Raptor departs Holloman Air Force Base, Nm on its way home to Elmendorf AFB, Ak 3 Mar. Fourteen Raptors were deployed to Holloman to avoid volcanic activity at thier home station. (U.S. Air Force Photo/TSgt Chris Flahive)

Holloman exercises deployment

Captain Ryan Owen, 7th Fighter Squadron pilot, climbs out of an F-22A Raptor at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., Feb. 26, after arriving back from a mock deployment to Anderson Air Base, Guam. As part of a base-wide exercise, pilots flew Raptors in preparation for a mock deployment. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Veronica Salgado)