A report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has come out recently that reveals a scary, yet real, truth about our aging GPS system satellites. The ones that orbit our planet and provide consumers, businesses and military with accurate positions for everything from where to drop a smart bomb to directions to the nearest Starbucks. The aging satellites are running on a 20-year-old system which has been maintained by the U.S. government since the early 1990's and could need to be replaced and/or updated within a year.
According to The Guardian, overspending and delays have prevented the latest update from taking place, putting the entire system in jeopardy. The U.S. Air Force currently has a $2 billion dollar project to update the current GPS system, by replacing the first GPS satellites, but that was due to launch back in 2007 and has yet to leave the ground.
Some have also proposed an additional tax on GPS services, in order to fund additional improvements, but opponents say it is something which would be very hard to track.
The failing GPS could swing open the door to offers of Galileo, the European-funded attempt to rival America's GPS system. In addition, other countries including Russia, India and China have all developed their own satellite navigation technologies that are being expanded.
The GPS satellites used by the public are exactly the same ones used by the US military. There are spare ones in orbit ready to be moved into position if one fails.
The US military will replace them as necessary.
Yeah, totally free. It's taking advantage of a system that's already in place without putting any particular extra strain on it.
You know, like text messaging.
You know, like text messaging.
lol +1
The United States military does not rely on the existing GPS system for battle-field navigation or operations tactics. There is a far more advanced system in place for military operations; which is exactly why the current GPS system is available to the public. However, this is also likely why the Departmnent of Defense does not feel it necessary to upgrade a (commercial) platform. It is a tremendous expense, with little to no return from a defense perspective.
Nope we dont have money to fix it. We spent all the money fixin' or rebuildin' the terrorists countries.
Cause you know they really deserved it. Damn them for not abandoning their home.
Which is transmitted from the same satellites, which are getting old and nearing the end of their useful life. So when the satellite goes, both services go.
hehe, nice cushions
This is going to be obamas next stimulus sending ass tronauts to fix it. It will create jobs in florida for those who lost their 401 ks in the stock market.
Hey, maybe they'll find the money that seems to "go missing" from time to time!
Three to triangulate a position on a flat plane. A forth (azimuth) to determine elevation.
R.I.P.
Maps > SatNav
Maps > SatNav
So a map that you have to look at while you're supposed to be driving is better than a map you don't have to look at and gives you instructions verbally?
In case of war ( a real one, not just a unilateral vendetta) you can bet that one of the first objective will be to put down the gps and communication satellites.
GPS will still be up and functional in war time. Just the military channels though. The civillian channels can be fudged for broad error or shut off completely.
Damn right!
Yeah... the entire 13 year Apollo project with 6 successfully missions to the moon and back cost us a pithy 130 billion adjusted for inflation.
TO THE MOON
/and back
//6 times
Yeah im with you just use those ufos i mean wether balloons.
yes, it is delayed and behind schedule, hence my comment 'hasn't been successful so far': http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6634285.stm
It was the U.S. military that told the Europe, that they had to stop continuing Galileo,
like the way they build it, oh, I forget, the E.U. is teh new Soviet Russia, and must
be stopped, by all means, cause of, you know, world domiantion and evrythang!
It was a private company that funded it, but you can bet it will be the US Government bailing them out to fix it.
All the GPS Sats do is transmit a signal all the time, and the GPS receivers grab that signal and figure out their own position. The data is not transmitted back to the GPS Sat. So there is no bandwidth, or load put on the GPS Sats.
So I can't imagine the DOD having a second set up there just for their use, that does the exact same thing. It doesn't make sense.
It was a private company that funded it, but you can bet it will be the US Government bailing them out to fix it.
You sir, are wrong... they are the same exact sat's, just the air force can use them a bit more effectively due to a different algorithm and access to a little more info sent from the sat that the consumer cant use
Not worried, this is one thing that bloated military budget is good for.
They did?
not all munitions and ordinance is dropped using GPS. there is wire guided, laser guided, smart munitions, lots of things. there is also a big chance that the ordinance did land on target, its just the intelligence regarding the target was incorrect.
all that aside, the US military does not use this GPS system anymore, they have their own exclusively for military actions.
Incorrect, as said above by serveral people, the same satellites are used, they just transmit a range of different signals for different purposes.
Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS_signals for a list and explanations.
TELL ME ABOUT IT! and this is not exclusive to things that dont really matter, either. they screw up and miss report ALL KINDS of things that are SUPER important. like gun control, ugh, dont even get me started.
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