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UND Competes for 'Flying Lab'

Posted on: Monday, 20 September 2004, 06:00 CDT

UND officials confirmed Thursday they have been in talks with NASA officials for months about a proposal to station a massive DC- 8 airborne laboratory and crew at Grand Forks Air Force Base. The McDonnell Douglas DC-8 jet transporter would continue NASA's scientific mission of conducting experiments for federal, state, academic and foreign investigators. But if based here, it also would be at the ready to serve as a resource for students and faculty of UND's John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Science.

Bruce Smith. UND aerospace dean, said the school is one of a number of organizations that have been asked by NASA to submit proposals to maintain and operate the research jet. UND has replied with a "preproposal," in essence. a letter expressing the school's interest in taking on the project.

"We've been offered the opportunity to do it," Smith said, "but there's still a lot of things that need to fall into place."

Decision coming

NASA has not yet committed to relinquishing control of the jet, but it is studying whether it may be more economical to outsource, Peter Alfonso, UND vice president of research, said.

Alfonso said rates for indirect or overhead costs to conduct research are much lower for institutions such as UND compared with those for federal agencies.

"It's just a huge expense for them," he said.

Alfonso said it's not certain that NASA will go through* with outsourcing the jet, as some of its centers, such as the Ames Research Center Moffet Field in California, are interested in keeping it, The jet is stationed at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif.

"I think it's going to happen fast," Alfonso said. "They want to make a decision in time for the start of their new fiscal year (in October)."

Because of George NASA's consideration of UND to take on the jet stems from its close relationship over the years with George Seielstad, associate dean of UND aerospace. Seielstad, who sits on NASA's Deep Space Network working group, the communication link for all space probes and the data they send back to Earth, has been discussing the possibility of bringing the DC-8 to Grand Forks with NASA officials for several months.

"It's really all happening because of George," Alfonso said.

Seielstad was not immediately available for comment late Thursday.

Alfonso said the Air Force base would be a key component if the school took over the research jet. He said the base has the long runways and hangars needed to safely accept a fully loaded DC-8.

A crew of pilots, scientists and maintenance people would be assigned to the. jet, but there was no definitive word of how many or if they would be UND or Air Force personnel or a combination of both.

Fits with UND

The jet, which specializes in low- to middle-atmospheric research, can fly at altitudes of 1,000 feet to 42,000 feet for up to 12 hours at a time. It has a range of about 54,000 nautical miles and can carry up to 30,000 pounds of research equipment.

Because it flies in the Earth's atmosphere, the DC-8 offers an inexpensive way to test and verify prototype space shuttle or satellite instruments.

The jet also flies under the path of orbiting satellites, collecting and interpreting data. It's also been known to aid in the research of hurricanes.

Officials say the capabilities of the jet fit perfectly with Or type of studies and research UND Aerospace specializes in. from space studies to aviation to weather analysis.

"This is not only a flying laboratory; it could be a flying classroom," Alfonso said.

Copyright Grand Forks Herald Inc. Aug 27, 2004

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