FirstGov.gov, the U.S. government's official web portal.Since its beginning in 1961, the FCDAS has served as a command and data acquisition station supporting satellite operations of the U.S. government. Facilities and operations at the FCDAS have grown alongside the advent of environmental satellite activities.
The FCDAS was originally established as the Gilmore Tracking Station under the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA). Most of the existing FCDAS facilities are located at areas that were subject to gold mining.
1902 Italian prospector Felix Pedro discovered gold at the Gilmore Creek on July 22, 1902 - credited with starting the Fairbanks gold rush. Gilmore Valley was one of the first places on the Fairbanks area to be mined for gold. Gilmore Creek was named after Felix Pedro's prospecting partner, Tom Gilmore. One remaining miner's cabin at the FCDAS is rumored to have been constructed by Tom Gilmore. Some of Felix Pedro and Tom Gilmore's former claims are located within boundaries of the present-day FCDAS. |
1920-1930s Fairbanks Exploration Company, the most successful of the early corporate mining companies in the Fairbanks area, operated a gold dredge in the Gilmore Valley and partway into the area known as the FCDAS. Gold mining occurs into the 21st century directly east of the FCDAS boundaries at the Fort Know Gold Mine. |
| 1960 NASA launched the experimental weather satellite TIROS-I from Florida. It was operational for 78 days and proved that satellites could be useful tools for surveying global weather conditions from space. The next generational series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites (TIROSs) continue to provide daily observations of the world's weather into the 21st century. |
1961 NASA founded the Gilmore Creek Tracking Station - now the FCDAS - to communicate with some of the first spacecraft created to collect data on the surface and atmosphere of Earth. This station in 1961 consisted of the Operations Building and an antenna with a diameter of 26 meters, both in operation into the 21st century. |
| 1963 The Gilmore Creek Geophysical Observatory and an antenna with a diameter of 26 meters were constructed at the FCDAS. They were to support NASA geophysical and astronomic research. The 26-meter antenna was later converted and became an important component of the international Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) program, which uses an international network of antennas to measure movements of the Earth's crust. |
1964 NASA's first meteorological Nimbus satellite (Nimbus-1) was launched from California on August 28. It was operational for 26 days. The Satellite Tracking Antenna (SATAN) Command System was installed at the FCDAS. SATAN communicated with Nimbus and TIROS satellites . The last Nimbus satellite (Nimbus-7) was launched from California in 1978 and was operational until 1994. The FCDAS SATAN facilities became obsolete at the start of the 21st century and have since been removed. |
| 1965 Federal protection of the FCDAS property was established. The Department of the Interior through Public Land Order 3708 withdrew this property from public is in order to protect it from mining or other non-federal land claims. A 9-meter antenna and Range Rate Building were constructed by NASA to track the locations of satellites. Around this time, two antennas with diameters of 9 meters and 12 meters each were also constructed as the FCDAS. |
1966 Increasing the FCDAS' self-sufficiency, the Facilities Building was constructed at the FCDAS. It contained carpentry, antenna, welding, sand-blasting, and vehicle maintenance shops. A Boom-Truck garage was also added around this time. The FCDAS vehicle maintenance shop has since been transferred to the new 16, 000=square-foot FCDAS Vehicle Maintenance and Storage Facility. |
| 1973 NOAA began sharing use of the facilities with NASA. Into the 1970s, NASA was responsible for launching the unmanned TIROS satellite into outer space. Once proven operational, the satellite's name was changed to "NOAA" with day-to-day use under the direction of NOAA. |
1984 NOAA assumed entire control of the FCDAS from NASA. |
| 1989 The Department of the Interior through Public Land Order 6709 transferred administration from NASA to NOAA and allowed continued operation of the station. "No one can seriously question that the property should continue to be used as planned. The importance of the weather satellites to the Nation and to the State of Alaska cannot be overstated." So wrote Messrs. John Byrne and James Beggs, Administrators, of NOAA and NASA, in a letter regarding transfer of the station between the two agencies. |
1998 Three 13-meter Antennas were constructed at the FCDAS. They transmit data from NOAA and Department of Defense low-earth orbit satellites. The three 13-meter antennas are all-environment facilities, better able to withstand the severe weather conditions of the region. The Fairbanks area experienced a record high of 99°F in July 1919 and a record low of -66°F in January 1934. |
| 2002-2008 A number of capital improvements are being implemented at the FCDAS in order to increase the efficiency and technical sophistication of the operations and to modernize aging facilities. This includes construction of new facilities, upgrading security, upgrading infrastructure, rehabilitating aging facilities, and replacement of obsolete or uneconomical facilities. |
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