6th Mission Venue

(below: 3AM 22 July 2009 aurora over Grand Forks ND)

The 2012 American venue event is being hosted by the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Grand Forks is the home of the Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aerial Systems Research, Education, and Training, and the Grand Forks Air Force Base. The corresponding Asian venue event will be held in Beijing China.

Remember, the 6th Mission will be conducted indoors, so much of the logistics burden associated with earlier outdoor missions (tents, transmission antenna towers, etc.) will not be needed. Also since the autonomous vehicles will be electrically-powered and small, most team equipment should be air-transportable with the team itself. Beware however when transporting Li-Ion batteries as some airlines such as Delta have special transport restrictions, while Spirit Airlines actually shut down one of our Aerial Robotics teams in 2010 by refusing to allow battery shipments as either carry-on or in-baggage transport in spite of the fact that TSA allowed them through security and the reality that all cell phones and lap top computers use this same battery chemistry.

Most direct flights to Grand Forks will enter through the Grand Forks International Airport, Mark Andrews Field. The next nearest airport is Hector International Airport in Fargo, North Dakota. It is approximately 70 miles from Grand Forks. All other airports are nearly 200 miles distant. Both driving from your home team location or using the AMTRAK railway into Grand Forks is an option. If you are entering from outside the United States and are not a U.S. citizen, you will need to check to see if a U.S. visa is required.

Entry into Beijing China for the Asian venue will require appropriate Chinese visas. Beijing Capital International Airport (北京首都国际机场) is the main international airport serving Beijing, China.

Your team should do its homework to determine which items can be purchased locally and which items will have to be brought with you upon arrival.

While in Grand Forks, your team may wish to spend extra time to visit the local attractions. Things to do in the Grand Forks area can be found at here. Those visiting the Beijing area should visit the "North Pass" of the Great Wall of China at Badaling (about 45 minutes from the airport) as well as various attractions such as the Olympic Village, the "Forbidden City", and the "Temple of Heaven".

The average August evening low temperature for Grand Forks is 57°F (14°C) and the average daily high temperature is 80°F (27°C). The average August evening low temperature for Beijing is 68°F (20°C) and the average daily high temperature is 84°F (29°C) .