As repored in newsminer.com by Matt Buxton, officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were joined by Alaska Sen. Mark Begich on Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a new $11.7-million satellite monitoring facility outside Fairbanks. Located in Gilmore Valley, the 20,000-square-foot Fairbanks Satellite Operations Facility replaces an aging control facility to take over the operation of 11 antenna dishes that control and collect weather information from orbiting weather satellites. Along with a similar facility in Virginia, the Fairbanks operation is a critical link between satellites that monitor everything from Earth’s atmosphere, land, oceans, poles, the sun and researchers around the world.
Visitors tour the command center during the dedication ceremony for the new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fairbanks Satellite Operations Facility Wednesday afternoon, August 24, 2011 at the NOAA NESDIS Command and Data Acquisition Station. / Eric Engman/News-Miner
A small team of technicians send the satellites commands and receive data 24 hours per day, sending the information through out the world to create everything from nightly forecasts to long-term climate research. Construction on the building began in 2009 to replace the old site, which after earthquakes and years of use, had fallen into disrepair. In fact, much of the administration’s important monitoring equipment was moved into trailers so data collection could continue in case an earthquake or other disaster destroyed the building. For many, the opening was a positive sign of federal investment in Alaska and to the Interior.
The new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fairbanks Satellite Operations Facility seen during a dedication ceremony Wednesday afternoon, August 24, 2011 at the NOAA NESDIS Command and Data Acquisition Station. / Eric Engman/News-Miner
