Press release from N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources:
RALEIGH, N.C. – At the height of space exploration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) operated a manned satellite tracking station in Pisgah National Forest. A N.C. Highway Historical Marker will be dedicated Monday, May 8, 4 p.m., to recognize the role of the station in the country’s space history. The 200-acre campus once was home to an 85-foot steerable parabolic reflector. The dedication will be at US 64 at US 178, west of Rosman.
The absence of radio frequency interruption and light pollution, and the government land tract influenced the selection of the site. NASA built the Rosman Tracking and Data Acquisition Facility to be the nation’s primary East Coast satellite tracking facility. The station’s vital role was in communicating with satellites and manned space flights as they passed over the East Coast. The facility also contributed to the development of weather satellites, television signal transmission and GPS systems. The Rosman Station became less critical as communication technology evolved.
In 1981, the station was transferred to the Department of Defense and used for satellite data collection. It is estimated that the government invested several hundred million dollars in the site, which was closed in 1991. Most instrumentation, antennae and electronics were removed, but much infrastructure remained.
The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI), a nonprofit foundation staffed largely by volunteers, currently operates the site. It was acquired in 1999 by Don and Jo Cline of Greensboro to serve as a campus to educate future scientists. Much of PARI’s initial work was to restore the facility and its instruments to the level necessary for scientific and educational purposes. PARI has invested more than $15 million to upgrade the facility. Hundreds of students have come to the campus and gone on to pursue scientific careers.
For additional information about the N.C. Highway Marker program, please call (919) 807-7290. The N.C. Highway Historical Marker Program is within the Office of Archives and History and administered by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The Highway Marker Program is collaboration between the N.C. Departments of Natural and Cultural Resources and Transportation.
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