At the World’s Only University-Owned Rocket Range, Wild Blueberries and Stunning Launches

Zayn Roohi

You’re not allowed to take photos of the rocket launchers at this vast research site operated by the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. The good news is you can pick the blueberries that grow all around here, and they’re sweet and plentiful at the beginning of August. Poker Flat, about 30 miles north of Fairbanks, is billed as the world’s only university-owned rocket range. Scientists use the site to pilot drones, track satellites, and, most notably, launch rockets carrying scientific measuring tools into the aurora borealis.

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The rocket range is just one of the many unique research offerings of the university’s Geophysical Institute, an umbrella organization for science departments at Fairbanks. Made possible by Alaska’s geography, the institute was originally created in 1946 following an act of Congress. Its head, Robert McCoy, a former program director of research for the Department of Defense, is quick to talk up what the state has to offer scientists.

It’s got the longest coastline with sea ice. It’s got 52 volcanoes. It’s got glaciers and permafrost and a rapidly changing climate. (Many people say the subzero winters aren’t as brutal as they used to be.)

“Alaska is a big laboratory,” McCoy said.

Scholars across many disciplines make good use of it. Valerie Wasser, a graduate student from Switzerland, came to Fairbanks after having studied volcanoes in Hawaii. Alaska is one of few other places she could continue her work, she says.

Affiliated researchers also study earthquakes, monitor permafrost, and collect satellite data. Nettie La Belle-Hamer, the institute’s deputy director, says being so far north means the university is under the orbit of satellites more often, enabling it to collect more data. “There are advantages to being here at the top of the ball,” she says.

The institute also has a field of giant antennas called the High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program. Scientists use the transmitters to warm portions of the ionosphere and then observe the effects.

Bright Lights, Big Tundra

The state’s geography, though, also necessitates some unusual preparations. Often researchers must travel by plane or helicopter to reach remote field sites. And they must learn how to deal with Alaska’s ubiquitous wildlife. Wasser says part of her training requires students to learn how to use bear mace and a shotgun should they need to defend themselves in the wild.

Thankfully, there are no bears in sight at the research range today, just a few red and black foxes that flee when approached. The rocket range is green, and it certainly doesn’t feel at first blush like the sort of place you’d find cutting-edge research. But when the winter launching season arrives, some scientists will champ at the bit to attach their research tools to rockets that will fly into the aurora borealis in the northern sky.

The university operates the range under a contract with NASA (hence the ban on photos). There’s almost nothing out here, which is bad for socializing but great for rockets. They can fly for hundreds of miles over sparsely populated tundra without affecting anyone.

But like many awe-inspiring events, a rocket launch requires a lot of tedious coordination. There are a few square buildings here where staff members prepare for the launch — generally in winter, when it’s cold and dark outside. As Bob Valdez, the assistant range manager, explains, launches require a lot of sitting and waiting for weather conditions to align perfectly. Launch windows last about two weeks, and it’s not unusual for launches to be canceled on 10 nights during that period.

When the launch does take place, the results stun. Photos show the rocket paths as beams of yellow light, intersecting with the green swirls of the aurora.

With no launch scheduled for today, though, the blueberries will have to suffice.

Chris Quintana is a staff reporter. Follow him on Twitter @cquintanadc or email him at chris.quintana@chronicle.com.