TRIP REPORT- Copenhagen, Feb 28, 1999

Purpose: To brief the Greenlandic and Copenhagen Authorities on ISR facility status and potential rocket campaign

Meeting: Annual Operations Meeting for US Research in Greenland

Submitted: Jeff Thayer March 15, 1999

Attendees:

David Mulenex, Regional Counselor, US Embassy

John Grant, Environmental Attache, US Embassy

Paul Thorn, Science Attache, US Embassy

Marijane England, Polar Ice Coring Office

Col Pritchard, Air National Guard

Major Paul Shepard, Air National Guard

Major Shawn Cloussier, Air National Guard

Major Bob Bullock, Air National Guard

Allan Pedersen, Kangerlussuaq Airport Manager

Jorgen Taagholt, DPC Science liason officer

Morten Meldgaard, Director DPC

Poul Henrik Sorensen, DPC deputy director

Hauge Andersson, DPC

Knud Rosing, Danish Civil Aviation Administration

Allan Pedersen, Kangerlussuaq Airport Manager

Ole Samsing, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Adam Worm, Greenland Home Rule Office

Mogens Holm, Greenland Home Rule

T. Kornerup, Danish Defense Command

Peter Stehr, Department of Defense

Erik Mayntz, Greenland Command

Jonny Parnset, Greenland Command

I traveled to Copenhagen February 28 to brief Danish and Greenlandic officials on the status of the Sondrestrom incoherent scatter radar facility as well as the potential for a rocket campaign in Kangerlussuaq. This meeting is an annual operations meeting for US research performed in Greenland. The attendees are the very people we need to inform and will work with later if the rocket campaign gets funded. Everyone was very positive about the rocket campaign concept with no immediate issues. Of course, the civil aviation guys would like to work very closely with us considering some air space issues. One warning from Allan Pedersen, local airport manager, is that the summer months can be quite crowded and supporting 50 people with housing and vehicles could be difficult. This depends on when in the summer the campaign occurs. Also, the Air National Guard out of New York flies routinely to Sondrestrom for logistical support of US activities in Greenland. They expressed a great deal of interest in shipping the NASA rockets and other materials needed for the campaign. They can be much cheaper than commercial shipping and they can usually be more helpful with hazardous materials. This could be a real time and money saver for NASA. Also, they would like to know if we want to recover payloads. If considered, they would like to be part of that too and we might want to look into what it would cost if that is something of interest.

Overall, we are on the right track with the proper authorities, Danish, Greenlandic, and US state department, well informed. It was agreed that no additional meetings were necessary until the decision by NASA on the proposal is made, sometime in January 2000. The next step is to write the winning proposals.