Welcome

Welcome to Poker Flat Research Range – the largest land-based rocket research range in the world and the only high-latitude rocket range in the United States. Poker Flat launches scientific sounding rockets, performs satellite tracking and is home to a growing fleet of unmanned aircraft.

Poker Flat Research Range is perfectly located in Interior Alaska. From this site, rockets can launch and fly over the sparsely populated tundra hundreds of miles north of the range with special permission from federal, state and tribal landowners. Additionally, the range is situated beneath the auroral oval – a ring across the circumpolar north where auroras typically occur – providing ample opportunities to continue scientists’ examination of the aurora. Most sounding rocket launches occur between January and March and scientists come from around the world to use the facility for their research projects.

The range's expansion into the burgeoning field of unmanned aircraft began in 2004. Today, the range has more than two-dozen models that range in size from a 2.5-pound quad-rotor Aeryon Scout to the 40-pound fixed-wing Insitu A-20. Personnel dedicated to the unmanned aircraft efforts are deployed across Alaska to assist in projects that are hazardous or difficult for manned aircraft to maneuver in.

General Information

Poker Flat Research Range is the world's only scientific rocket launching facility owned by a university. Poker Flat is located approximately 30 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska and is operated by the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute under contract to NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, which is part of the Goddard Space Flight Center. In addition to launching sounding rockets, Poker Flat is home to many scientific instruments designed to study the arctic atmosphere and ionosphere.

Contact Us

Physical Address

Poker Flat Research Range
30 Mile Steese Hwy
Fairbanks, AK 99712

Geophysical Institute

Poker Flat Research Range
Geophysical Institute
P.O. Box 757320
903 Yukon Drive
Fairbanks, AK 99775

Phone Numbers

Our hours are from 8am to 5pm, Monday through Friday, Alaska time.
Office: (907) 455-2110
Fax: (907) 455-2120

Staff

The following staff are located at Poker Flat and may be reached at (907) 455-2110.

Greg Walker

Range Manager

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Cheryl Berrong

Admin Assistant

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Kathe Rich

Operations Manager

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Ro Bailey

Special Projects Coordinator

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Dr. Don Hampton

Optical Science Manager

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Sam Burger

Facilities Supervisor

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Jason Avila

2nd Shift Facilities Supervisor

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Tony Tyree

Facilities Maintenance Assistant

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Kevin Abnett (Polartronix)

Optics and Communications Engineer

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Peter Elstner

UAS Navigation Engineer

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Tim Barnes

UAS Consultant

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Leonard Ligon

UAS Consultant

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Rayjan Wilson

Research/Development Engineer

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Bruce Crevensten

Research/Development Engineer

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Jonathan Sawyer

Research/Development Engineer

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Dr. Richard Collins

LIDAR Lab Manager

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Sang Bohn

Janitorial

Page accessed on Wed Dec 12 19:27:11 2012, Alaska time.