The GPS Sputnik

Posted On 10:09 AM by eBlogTip |

By James Gilbert Pynn

By today's standards Sputnik was not much to look at. Roughly the size a basketball with antennae protruding, it resembled you retro dining lamp fixture. But in 1957, to think that anything man-made could orbit the earth, much less break through the atmosphere was unheard of. The Soviets had ignited the fears of the so-called Free World and hey had given birth to a new form of technology: the satellite.

Was it some accident that the Soviets chose to launch in 1957? Was it the natural progression of human endeavor and technological evolution? The random chance of timing and ingenuity? Well, Shirley, it seem the Soviets, to their credit, had determined in 1952 that a pinnacle of solar activity would come to being between July 1957 and December 1958.

"How totally awesome," you say snidely, "but so what?" Well, darling, the solar activity would better accommodate the sated purpose of the Sputnik project, which was to generate a map the earth. From mapping, the Sputnik project would herald our modern need to have satellite-supported GPS systems and cellular communications. Of course, both of these systems are based upon the use of orbiting satellites. Let's dive into these warms waters, shall we?

Global positioning systems as we know them were first slipped into orbit in 1978. Used strictly for military purposes, the GPS tracking system was upgraded nearly two decades later. In 1994, the entire system was replaced by a system involving twenty-four satellites. From spinning basketballs, these satellites weigh in excess of two thousand pounds! These blessed satellites orbit the earth two times in a twenty-four hour period.

These metallic beasts of burden constantly and tirelessly transmit GPS coordinates and relay millions of cellular phone calls. That they carry out this cosmic dance with minimal interruption or interference. It's mind-boggling to think that of all the millions and millions of phone calls and relays these satellites carry out they only lose approximately a few thousand calls or requests. So, to the hikers trying to find their position or the taxi looking for its destination, be patient and rest assured you will get that GPS tracking eye you're waiting for.

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