GPS systems

The global positioning system is one of the most important developments of the space age. It has made travel much safer and it has also made sure that in an emergency it is easy for rescue crews to find us. Given that the GPS system was never intended for civilian use this has proved to a fortunate occurrence.

The global position system is designed to provide precise navigation and time information for all sorts of different purposes. The system works by having a series of satellites in orbit that can work together to allow them to triangulate your position on the earth. Not only can the satellites provide you with an accurate latitude and longitude but also with your elevation as well as the speed at which you are moving. In order to do this the system must be in contact with at least four satellites, however les s accurate information can be provided if fewer satellites are used.

The idea of using satellites as a navigation system has been around since the space age first started. The problem was that in order for the system to work dozens of satellites would be necessary. This made the cost prohibitive and something that nobody could find a way to justify. This would change during the seventies when it became obvious that the system would make it possible for the air force and navy to launch their nuclear missiles more accurately. At the height of the cold war this provided a justification for the cost and the satellites started to be launched in 1978.

In the early days of the GPS system access was strictly controlled and only the military was allowed to use it. As a result plans were developed to launch civilian versions of the satellites in order to meet the huge demand. However this became unnecessary when the cold war started to wind down and the military started to make their data available to civilian users. The information was restricted so that the results were not as accurate as those that were provided for the military but they were much more accurate than anything else at the time.

Over the years the GPS system has improved as new satellites that perform better have been launched to replace the old ones. In addition the restrictions on their use have been reduced so that more accurate information is now being provided for civilian users. One of the benefits of the new satellites is that they have more powerful transmitters which has made it possible for the receivers to be smaller. This has allowed the size of GPS receivers to shrink to the point where they can be used in all sorts of different devices. As a result most electronics now have a GPS system included which has helped to make them more useful.