Langmuir Laboratory is part of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, a state-owned college. The Laboratory was constructed with Federal funds, mainly from the U.S. National Science Foundation, in the mid 1960s. It is operated under a Special Use Permit issued by the U.S. Forest Service and an annual Operation and Maintenance Plan jointly prepared by the Magdalena District Ranger and Langmuir Laboratory. Public Law 96-550, passed by Congress in 1980, established 31,000 acres within the Cibola National Forest as the Langmuir Research Site in order to encourage scientific research. The main ongoing activity at the Laboratory has been the study of thunderstorms and lightning. Astronomy, biology, and ecology are also studied at the Laboratory.
Since the Laboratory is an agency of the State of New Mexico, it does not sponsor any commercial products, nor does it endorse products or rate them. If any information obtained under the auspices of the Laboratory is considered for commercial use, the Laboratory requires that its name not be used, referenced, or even mentioned in any advertisement or in any commercial promotion in any form.
The results of studies undertaken by the staff of the Laboratory are available upon request after the research is completed. Investigators at the Laboratory retain the right to publish freely the results from all the research they undertake.
Persons interested in using the Laboratory should send a letter of request to the Chairman of the Laboratory explaining the scientific and educational objectives of the project. The request should also provide information on dates, names and titles of participants, what equipment will be brought to the Lab, which Laboratory facilities will be used, whether meals and lodging will be needed, and whether transportation of people or equipment will be needed.
Completion of the MRO 2.4-meter Telescope on the ridge between South Baldy Peak and Langmuir Laboratory's Main Building may require restrictions on night-time light pollution. Special policies relating to vehicle headlight use, window covering, and other outdoor light emissions may apply.
Langmuir Laboratory is near South Baldy Peak in the Magdalena Mountains about 30 highway miles southwest of Socorro, NM. To reach the Laboratory from Socorro, take Highway 60 west from Socorro toward the Village of Magdalena. About 17 miles west of Socorro, between mile markers 123 and 124, turn left onto paved Forest Road 235, which is marked with a Forest Service sign identifying Water Canyon Campground. At the campground, which is about 4 miles from Highway 60, a sign points toward the Laboratory. Continue about 10 more miles up the remainder of FR 235. The dirt road is narrow, steep, and rocky; a high-clearance vehicle is recommended.
The Laboratory is equipped with dormitory-style living quarters for residents, including a kitchen, dining room, and a washing machine. Sometimes an Innkeeper is in residence to assign beds and linens, and to cook lunch and dinner. Meals may not be not available to drop-in or unscheduled visitors.
At the altitude of 10,600 feet the weather even in midsummer is cool enough to require jackets during the day. Rain gear, sturdy footwear, a hat, and sunscreen are essential. Residents provide their own personal sundries.
Lab residents should bring their own hand tools, research supplies and equipment, personal computers, and uninterruptable power supplies.
Billing is prepared and mailed at the end of the summer research season, usually in September or October, when all costs have been itemized.
William P. Winn, Chairman
Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research
New Mexico Tech
801 Leroy Place
Socorro, NM 87801
winn@loon.nmt.edu
(575) 835-5423 phone
(575) 835-5913 fax