History
The PFRR originated from University of Alaska auroral research in the 1920s. Sounding rockets were first used for this in 1946. In 1968 the UAF Geophysical Institute leased the land that became the PFRR from the state of Alaska, and the range's facilities were initially completed in 1972 with leadership and vision from Dr. T. Neil Davis. Neil Davis asked Neal Brown to be PFRR's first supervisor and Brown directed the facility from 1971-1989. Construction of new facilities was undertaken in the 1990s with a $30 million grant provided by Congress. Refurbishment of older facilities is an ongoing project.
Read more about this topic: Poker Flat Research Range
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