Grissom supports Purdue scientific experiment Published July 28, 2008 By Lt. Col. Gary Lockard 434th ARW Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind -- Grissom aircrews and aircraft routinely travel to different places around the globe to conduct aerial refueling missions. On Monday, a single KC-135R Stratotanker and crew headed in a slightly different direction as they traveled north to Greenland to assist a Purdue University professor with his scientific experiment. Professor Ephraim Fischbach of Purdue's physics department, his staff and cargo are traveling to Thule Air Base, Greenland, aboard one of the 434th Air Refueling Wing's KC-135R tankers. "Grissom ARB is in many ways the key component in this exciting experiment," stated the professor. "Without the transportation that Grissom will be providing to and from Thule, this mission could never take place." In addition to Professor Fischbach, the research team includes Mr. Jere Jenkins, Purdue's nuclear engineering department; Col. Michael Silver, Purdue Air Force ROTC; faculty from the U.S. Air Force Academy and five Air Force cadets. Thule is the United States Air Force's northernmost base and is located 695 miles north of the Arctic Circle on the northwest side of Greenland. While there, the professor and his staff of 12 will study the behavior of both electronic systems and radioactive decays during a rare total solar eclipse. "The core objective is to study the behavior of electronics during a solar eclipse," explained the professor. "There will be a solar eclipse on August 1 which will pass almost directly over Thule. We will be making a number of careful measurements including the decay rates of radioactive elements before, during and after the eclipse." The planning for the experiment began in March 2007. Due to Thule's remote location, reliable transportation to and from the permafrost encrusted base was a major concern. Professor Fischbach became acquainted with Grissom and the capability of the KC-135 via his participation in a special civic leader orientation flight in June 2007. As Grissom is a short 1-hour drive from the Purdue's West Lafayette, Ind., campus, the idea soon emerged of having Grissom play a key role by providing transportation. After coordinating with various Air Force organizations, including Air Force Mobility Command, Air Education and Training Command, Space Command and the U.S. Air Force Academy, the trip was approved. The Arctic Science Center at Thule plays hosts to visiting scientists and will be the temporary home to Professor Fischbach's staff during their nine-day stay. At this time of the year, Thule experiences sunlight 24-hours a day with temperatures in the 30s. The team hopes the data gathered will help researchers learn how solar activity disrupts various forms of communications, such as satellite communications, Global Positioning Systems and other equipment used by the Department of Defense. "We hope this experiment may allow us to anticipate these disruptions and take steps to avoid or minimize the problems," said the professor. The long-term goal is to develop technology that would provide warnings of impending solar events to ensure critical communications remain uninterrupted. No such technology currently exists. The efforts of the research team will continue long after the eclipse is over and they have returned to the confines of their campus. "All of us will spend many months analyzing the data and writing up the results of the various experiments," added Professor Fischbach. According to Air Force officials, the trip is also providing supplemental benefits to three Purdue ROTC and two Air Force Academy cadets who are part of the research team. The cadets have been involved in the planning and execution of the experiment and will be co-authors on upcoming technical papers resulting from the experiment. While the act of flying people and cargo aboard a KC-135R to another Air Base may seem routine to Grissom aircrews, the final destination and purpose makes this a unique mission.
