Socorro is locted in central New Mexico in the Rio Grande Valley. It is 1.4 kilometres above sea level.  Near Socorro you will find the Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site (ETS) where the instruments used by the LINEAR program are located. The LINEAR (Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research) program is a collaboration of the United States Air Force, Nation Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It's main job is to detect and track near-Earth objects. Since 2011, LINEAR has detected 231 000 new small solar system bodies, of which 2423 were near-Earth asteroids and 279 were comets.  Also near Socorro is the White Sands Missile Range. Founded in 1941, it was where the Trinity test occurred - the first detonation of a nuclear weapon.

Bitburg is an ancient city with roots going back 2000 years. It was a stopover for traffic from Lyon through Metz and Trier to Cologne. The first time it is mentioned in documents is around 330 when Emperor Constantine the Great expanded the settlement to a road castle. It's been a part of many different rules over the years including Luxembourg, France, and Prussia.  Spangdahlem Air Base, a NATO airbase is nearby. The United States Air Force is the tenant. It is home to the 480th Fighter Squadron and the 726th Air Mobility Squadron