The Cold War & GPS

The year was 1957, and the free world was in a panic. The Soviet Space Program successfully sent Sputnik into orbit and the end of civilization, as we knew it was at hand. How could the dirty Reds have invaded space with such relative ease? In less than a year, President Eisenhower, working in tandem with Congress, quickly established NASA and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) to formulate a response to the looming threat.

Working at break-neck speed, Wernher von Braun, the new head of NASA, immediately began to explore the possibility of sending human beings into space. Within the first year of their inception, NASA had launched the Explorer 1 satellite into space. Dubbed Project Mercury, this program involved seven original astronauts, of whom, Alan Shepard became the first American into space, while John Glenn would become the first American to orbit the earth.

Revolutionary GPS tracking devices were used to track their location, altitude, and rates of speed. So coveted was this GPS technology that it remained classified until 1983, when a Soviet interceptor aircraft shot down a civilian Korean Air airliner, killing everyone on board. The plane had strayed into Soviet airspace and although the Soviets had probable cause, had the airliner had accurate navigational systems, the tragedy could have been avoided. President Ronald Reagan subsequently declassified GPS tracking systems for civilian use.

The first successful GPS tracking system, created by the Navy mind you, was code-named Transit. It used five satellites to triangulate positions around the globe. With the Space Race underway, NASA began implementing a new tracking system, called the Global Positioning System (GPS). The system involved the use of satellites to track the position and location of both spacecraft and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Now, GPS capabilities are as ubiquitous as cellphones. Not only have they become the preeminent navigational systems for cars, but the scientific community has also used them to track wild and domestic animals and migration patterns. Law enforcement uses GPS tracking to find stolen cars and keep tabs on criminals on bail or probation. Now, not only can someone find where they are on a city grid, but also he or she can find nearby businesses and restaurants.

Your GPS tracking device is closer to you than you thought. Actually, it’s ringing now.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 3:17 pm and is filed under GPS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.