The Formal Opening in Hangar 605 included a tour of NASA's McDonnell Douglas DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratory. Speakers included North Dakota Governor John Hoeven, U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan, Congressman Earl Pomeroy, NASA Assistant Associate Administrator for Science Dr. Paul Hertz, U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Del Eulberg, UND President Dr. Charles Kupchella, and UND Professor Dr. George Seielstad.

Under a cooperative agreement with NASA, the University of North Dakota will operate the space agency's DC-8 flying science laboratory, which will carry international teams of scientists on global missions to conduct experiments and study changes in Earth's surface and atmosphere.

The DC-8 was delivered to UND in September and will be housed at Grand Forks Air Force Base. The National Suborbital Education and Research Center is a unit of UND's Northern Great Plains Center for People and the Environment.

"It's a privilege to be entrusted with the operation of this national treasure," said Center Director Dr. George Seielstad. "We intend to enable the nation's best scientists to acquire new knowledge about Earth's environment so that all of us will learn how to be better stewards of the planet that nurtures us."

"I can't think of a better place in the country to base the DC-8 flying laboratory than UND and the Grand Forks Air Force Base," said U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan, who first teamed UND with NASA and has earmarked more than $10 million since 2000 for UND to work with the space agency.

"We have formed a unique partnership here that builds on the excellent aerospace program at UND and the research needs of NASA. Basing NASA's DC-8 is further evidence that the Red River Valley Research Corridor is thriving, and using federal funds to continue this growth is a wise investment for North Dakota and for the entire nation."

"The partnership between UND and NASA provides excellent research opportunities for our students and brings new, high paying jobs to Grand Forks," said North Dakota Governor John Hoeven. "This is exactly what our Centers of Excellence program is about. We're pleased and proud to be home to this remarkable mission and project."

"I am ecstatic about the super partnership this project represents - between UND and both NASA and the world's entire atmospheric science community," said UND President Charles Kupchella. "Having my own academic roots in environmental science, I am even more proud than I would be otherwise in seeing my university involved in this direct way in stewardship of the global environment.

The DC-8 is NASA's premier research aircraft. The highly modified plane can carry 30,000 pounds of scientific instruments and equipment, and fly at altitudes from 1,000 to 42,000 feet for up to 12 hours. Data gathered by the DC-8 have been used for numerous scientific studies ranging from archaeology to atmospheric chemistry.

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