Global Positioning Systems

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Global Positioning Systems

• Presentation By Victoria Echeverri

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Where You Are And Where Youre Going

• WHAT The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a
  worldwide radio-navigation system formed from a
  constellation of 24 satellites and their ground
  stations.
• WHERE a constellation of 27 Earth-orbiting
  satellites (24 in operation and three extras in
  case one fails).
• WHY The military wanted a precise form of
  worldwide positioning and soon after its creation
  made the technology available to the general
  public
• WHO The Military
• HOW with 12 billion

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Each of these 3,000- to 4,000-pound solar-powered
satellites circles the globe at about 12,000
miles (19,300 km), making two complete rotations
every day. The orbits are arranged so that at any
time, anywhere on Earth, there are at least four
satellites "visible" in the sky.
Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Defense
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Things You Should Know

• Navigation in three dimensions is the primary
  function of GPS. Navigation receivers are made
  for aircraft, ships, ground vehicles, and for
  hand carrying by individuals.
• The Master Control facility is located at
  Schriever Air Force Base (formerly Falcon AFB) in
  Colorado.
• While there are many thousands of civil users of
  GPS world-wide, the system was designed for and
  is operated by the U. S. military.

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• http//www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/gps
  /gps_f.html
• http//electronics.howstuffworks.com/gps1.htm
• http//www.trimble.com/gps/index.html
• http//www.DOD.mil