Press Releases
Thirty-six rural students will visit the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus for a two-day intensive program meant to polish their science and math skills. Middle school students from Chalkyitsik, Beaver, Kaltag and Unalakleet will learn the basics of rocket science, climate and the water cycle as part of the Science &Math Enrichment Program (SMEP). 
Two Improved-Orion sounding rockets were launched in succession from Poker Flat Research Range last night. The first rocket of the DUST project launched at 8:45 p.m. and the second rocket launched at 10:45 p.m. Both rockets flew through Earth's upper atmosphere, reaching altitudes of 62 vertical miles. Their flights lasted nearly 6 minutes each, before landing about 28 miles north of the rocket range.
Debris from the Black Brant XII sounding rocket that malfunctioned during flight on Sunday, March 6 were recovered and transported back to Poker Flat Research Range. Remnants of the rocket, CASCADES, will now be analyzed as part of an investigation to see what caused the failure of the rocket's third stage, which dropped hundreds of miles shy of its intended location. Once the snow melts, range staff will search again to see if there is any additional debris.
CASCADES, a rocket project of Dartmouth College scientist Kristina Lynch, launched at 1:37 a.m. this morning from Poker Flat Research Range. The four-stage Black Brant XII rocket reached an altitude of about 18 vertical miles, and flew for 5 minutes. Although the first two stages appeared to
function properly, normal ignition of the third stage did not occur. Range staff and NASA personnel believe the failure occurred during the rocket's third stage, but are unsure what exactly triggered the malfunction. The rocket debris will be retrieved and analyzed as part of an investigation.
Three rockets are scheduled to launch from Poker Flat Research Range this winter. The launch window officially opens at twilight, Sunday, Feb. 27, and will remain open until Tuesday, March 22. During this time, a total of three rockets will be launched. Two will gather data on Earth's mesospheric dust layer, and the third will fly through the aurora, probing the auroral curtain to learn more about its structure.
A suitcase-size camera designed 20 years ago is still ahead of the game when it comes to capturing the beautiful colors and fluid motion of the aurora. Technology moves at a phenomenal rate, yet the camera designed with the aid of employees at the Geophysical Institute continues to outshine any competitors with its extreme low-light sensitivity. This special camera is the crux of the Aurora Color Television Project (ACTP), which has provided true-to-life images of the aurora to audiences around the world for two decades.
Public tours will resume at Poker Flat Research Range in August. The public is invited to tour portions of the lower-range with guides from the Geophysical Institute Information and Education Outreach Office. Tours are scheduled for Aug. 5, and Aug. 19. The tours will begin at 1:30 p.m.
Public tours of Poker Flat Research Range are cancelled throughout the month of July. Fire crews continue to work on hot spots located on the upper-range and the surrounding area. For safety reasons, tours are suspended until further notice.
Staff from Poker Flat Research Range helped secure crucial imagery of wildfires raging through Alaska, including those in their own backyard.
Altair, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) equipped with extensive imaging capabilities, provided real-time information on fire locations, fire movement, and previously unidentified hot spots on a mission flown July 9. Poker Flat Research Range staff initiated this effort and provided airspace planning and mission support for the flight.
A surveillance RADAR facility and two Connex storage containers at Poker Flat Research Range were lost to the Boundary Fire on June 30, 2004. The surveillance RADAR facility was used to detect small aircraft in the range's flight zone before launching sounding rockets. A replacement value for it, and the two storage containers, has not yet been determined.
