UAF to hold open house at HAARP

August 8, 2017

UAF photo by Todd Paris. The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program facility near Gakona includes this 33-acre grid of radio transmission antennas used to conduct research on the ionosphere. The facility was built and operated by the U.S. Air Force until Aug. 11, 2015, when ownership was transferred to UAF's Geophysical Institute.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will hold an open house at the High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program facility in Gakona Aug. 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This is the second annual HAARP open house since UAF assumed management of the facility in 2015. HAARP is a facility for studying the ionosphere. It is located in Gakona, Alaska, which is about 250 miles from Fairbanks and 210 miles from Anchorage.

Construction may delay travel on both the Richardson Highway and the Tok Cutoff, so drivers should allow extra time.

The free public event will include tours of the operations building and the antenna array. Scientists will give talks about the science behind HAARP and about the aurora. There will be displays about permafrost, earthquakes and unmanned aircraft. A portable planetarium will offer shows about the aurora and information about the upcoming eclipse of the sun on Aug. 21. Food will be available.

This year, the UAF Geophysical Institute is offering tickets on a bus from Fairbanks to HAARP. It will return the same day. Tickets are $45 and should be purchased no later than Aug. 15 at gi.alaska.edu/tickets.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Sue Mitchell, 907-474-5823, sue.mitchell@alaska.edu

ON THE WEB: http://gi.alaska.edu/haarp-0 or
https://www.facebook.com/UAFHAARP/ or
@UAFHAARP on Twitter

NOTE TO EDITORS: There will be a media day at HAARP on Friday, Aug. 18. Special tours for media will be offered, and Geophysical Institute director Robert McCoy will be available for interviews. To attend, RSVP no later than Aug. 11 to Sue Mitchell, 907-474-5823, sue.mitchell@alaska.edu.