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In 1965, T. Neil Davis and others at UAF's Geophysical Institute began an unprecedented step in studying the aurora. They began work to build and operate the only university-owned rocket range in the world, where scientists could launch sounding rockets into the atmosphere.

The rocket range would have two unique advantages: The university employed a permanent staff of space physics scientists, and the facility would sit just to the south of the zone where most auroras occur.

Construction on the Poker Flat Â鶹¹ÙÍø Range began in fall 1968, and seven rockets were launched the following spring. A geophysical observatory was built in 1974 to house riometers, magnetometers and other instruments used in routine experiments, along with all-sky cameras and meridian-scanning photometers. The range has been continually improved since then. It now includes rocket assembly and launching capabilities, telemetry receiving stations and ground-based diagnostics needed to decide when to launch rockets carrying space, aeronomy and atmospheric science experiments. Ground-based instrumentation allows monitoring of auroral activity, magnetic storms, ionospheric perturbations and other space disturbances in real-time.

Poker Flat has launched more than 300 large rockets and 1,500 smaller meteorological rockets during the past 47 years.

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