Alaska Satellite Facility celebrates with open house

August 16, 2011

The Geophysical Institute’s will celebrate 20 years of operation by hosting an open house 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20. Events will take place in both the Elvey and Akasofu Buildings. The facility's first downlink of images from an earth-observing synthetic aperture radar satellite occurred 20 years ago.

The public is invited to tour facilities used for the acquisition, storage, processing and distribution of data acquired from polar-orbiting satellites, and to learn why satellite-borne earth observation is critical for monitoring change.

Scientists from ASF will provide short talks on a variety of subjects related to the principles and use of remote-sensing technologies. Tours will include visits to one of two satellite receiving antennas used at ASF, the antenna control room operations center and the Alaska Volcano Observatory remote-sensing room.

Family activities will include:

Build a satellite and antenna hat

Learn how radar works

Look at glaciers, then and now

Create a tornado

Face painting

Displays will include the Geophysical Institute’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, earthquake and volcano demonstrations, and a satellite-calibration corner reflector.

For more information call 474-6166 or uso@asf.alaska.edu.

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