Octopus Overlords

The global positioning system could fail next year and repairs aren't moving quickly enough to prevent failure, according a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. It's unclear whether the U.S. Air Force will be able to acquire new satellites in time to prevent disruption in GPS service for military and civilian users, according to the report.

The GAO said that the Air Force has struggled in recent years to stay within cost and scheduling constraints while building GPS satellites. So far, one satellite program has incurred cost overruns of $870 million and the launch of its first satellite has been pushed back three years to November 2009.
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The Air Force also has had problems synchronizing the next generation of GPS satellites with the ground control and user equipment, which hinders military GPS satellite capabilities, GAO concluded.

The Air Force also has had problems synchronizing the next generation of GPS satellites with the ground control and user equipment, which hinders military GPS satellite capabilities, GAO concluded.

msduncan wrote:Let me assure you that this *can* happen, and will unless we get busy putting up birds.

Anyone heard of Globalstar? It's a satellite phone provider here in North America. Our company bought in big time to using their satellite phones. Over the last 2 years, the service has gone down to right around 50% because of satellites aging an failing. The constellation of satellites they had in orbit aged at twice the estimated rate (due to radiation and general harsh conditions in space). They are sending some up this fall, but will not be back to 100% coverage until late next year.

Grievous Angel wrote:Aw crap. Take away my TomTom and I'll spend the rest of my life driving around Atlanta trying to figure out which Peachtree Street is which.

LordMortis wrote:Though I've driven about a thousand miles
I can't find it still
But I think my honda knows which way to go
Tell the client I running late they know

Ground control to GPS:
Your circuit's dead, there's something wong.
Can you hear me my TomTom?
Can you hear me my TomTom?
Can you hear me my TomTom? Can you ...

Here am I driving round my in tin can, far away from home
Now I run on fumes and there's nothing I can do

Hrdina wrote:There have been a couple of interesting articles on this topic lately.

Here is one on Brad Parkinson's presentation to Congress.

http://sidt.gpsworld.com/gpssidt/Latest ... 901?ref=25" target="_blank

And one from today's GPS World that follows up on it (with a title that's only slightly biased):

http://sidt.gpsworld.com/gpssidt/Latest ... 165?ref=25" target="_blank

The new global positioning system (GPS) satellite, called GPS 2F-1, blasted off atop an unmanned Delta 4 rocket at 11 p.m. EDT (0300 Friday GMT) from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
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It is the first of a planned fleet of 12 new satellites to provide around-the-clock navigation ultra-precise navigation and timing services for military and civilian.

"These next-generation satellites provide improved accuracy through advanced atomic clocks; a more jam-resistant military signal and a longer design life than earlier GPS satellites; and a new civil signal that benefits aviation safety and search-and-rescue efforts," said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager for Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, which built the new satellite.
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The new GPS 2F-1 is a solar-powered satellite designed for a 12-year mission. It has twice the signal accuracy of previous navigation satellites and is equipped with a new signal capability for more robust by civilian and commercial aviation applications, Boeing officials said. The satellite uses the U.S. military's "M-code" and variable power to increase its resistance against jamming during warfare.

The Preacher wrote:So how will I find the nearest Starbucks?

theohall wrote:

The Air Force also has had problems synchronizing the next generation of GPS satellites with the ground control and user equipment, which hinders military GPS satellite capabilities, GAO concluded.

The above part isn't just the Air Force. It's the the Armed Forces, other than the Coast Guard, period. Navy is still using 20 year old receivers with no funding for development of receivers to take advantage of advances in technology. The Navy Air (NAVAIR) side wound up about 5 years ago adding a civilian system to many of their planes.

The Meal wrote:Shouldn't significantly change the 20-foot resolution of the current system, but by the time the next dozen or so satellites are up (over the next decade) we should be down to the single-digits of feet resolution (i.e., can tell which lane an automobile is in).

Technology!

Isgrimnur wrote:I doubt that they're going to let the civilians (and non-allied governments) to access that level of resolution. While that may have the capability, I'm sure that it will be reserved for military matters.

Initially, the highest quality signal was reserved for military use, and the signal available for civilian use intentionally degraded ("Selective Availability", SA). This changed with U.S. President Bill Clinton ordering Selective Availability (SA) turned off at midnight May 1, 2000, improving the precision of civilian GPS from 300 meters (about 1000 feet) to 20 meters (about 65 feet). The U.S. military by then had the ability to deny GPS service to potential adversaries on a regional basis.

Isgrimnur wrote:I'm apparently way out of date:

Initially, the highest quality signal was reserved for military use, and the signal available for civilian use intentionally degraded ("Selective Availability", SA). This changed with U.S. President Bill Clinton ordering Selective Availability (SA) turned off at midnight May 1, 2000, improving the precision of civilian GPS from 300 meters (about 1000 feet) to 20 meters (about 65 feet). The U.S. military by then had the ability to deny GPS service to potential adversaries on a regional basis.

Enough wrote:

Isgrimnur wrote:I'm apparently way out of date:

Initially, the highest quality signal was reserved for military use, and the signal available for civilian use intentionally degraded ("Selective Availability", SA). This changed with U.S. President Bill Clinton ordering Selective Availability (SA) turned off at midnight May 1, 2000, improving the precision of civilian GPS from 300 meters (about 1000 feet) to 20 meters (about 65 feet). The U.S. military by then had the ability to deny GPS service to potential adversaries on a regional basis.

Correct and the big fear was that after 911 they would turn SA back on.

Officials from the Air Space Command's Global Positioning Systems Wing at the Space and Missile Systems Center here have announced the first GPS IIF satellite arrived on station Aug. 1. This indicates the satellite is in its designated orbital position and ready for its final phase of on-orbit checkout and testing, to be completed before September. The satellite then will be cleared to serve navigation and timing users as part of the operational GPS constellation.

The next-generation GPS IIF satellites will provide improved accuracy through advanced atomic clocks, a longer design life than legacy GPS satellites and a new operational L5 civil signal that benefits civil aviation and other safety-of-life applications. It also will continue to deploy the modernized capabilities that began with the eight modernized GPS IIR satellites, including a more robust military signal.

Enough wrote:Next-gen GPS III constellation is excellent for accuracy and Colorado's employment.

Isgrimnur wrote:First IIF satellite on station

GPS IIF-2, renamed SVN-63, launched on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV vehicle today at 2:41 a.m. Eastern time from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Controllers confirmed initial contact with the spacecraft at 6:14 a.m. Eastern time at a ground station on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. GPS signals from the spacecraft payload will be turned on for test purposes over the coming days.

Galileo, the largest program ever launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) will enter its latest phase with the launch of two navigation satellites on 20 October. They will join two test satellites already in orbit, allowing the first tests of the Galileo network, a rival to the US Global Positioning System (GPS).
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What is Galileo?
Galileo is the European satellite navigation system. The network, costing more than €5-billion (US$6.93-billion), will eventually consist of up to 27 operational satellites and three spares in three orbital planes. The test satellites being launched tomorrow will for the first time allow operators to test the system, including its ground stations.

How is Galileo different from existing systems, such as the GPS?
The short answer is that Galileo is not all that different from the GPS or the Russian system, GLONASS. But it does have a few tricks up its sleeve. Galileo will broadcast on a wider range of frequencies than other systems, and the first satellites will carry clocks based on hydrogen masers--devices that exploit an ultra-stable transition in hydrogen atoms to achieve accuracies up to five times better than the current GPS standard.
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Will Galileo be able to do anything that the GPS can't?
For certain applications, Galileo does stand out. For example, scientists are interested in using navigation satellites to measure features of Earth's surface. By watching for the reflected satellite signal shining off water or land, researchers can make specific measurements of things such as sea level and soil moisture. Because Galileo operates over a wider bandwidth than the GPS, it will provide more accurate reflection measurements.

Isgrimnur wrote: Would you prefer a different color? Given that you've got 890 posts on me and Daehawk has 891 posts over you at the moment, you're likely to be in my sig for a while.

MHS wrote:

Isgrimnur wrote: Would you prefer a different color? Given that you've got 890 posts on me and Daehawk has 891 posts over you at the moment, you're likely to be in my sig for a while.

Austin fell pretty damn fast, you can take down RM9 quickly!

RunningMn9 wrote:I really don't like seeing my name in red every third post like that.

LordMortis wrote:

RunningMn9 wrote:I really don't like seeing my name in red every third post like that.

Red was kind of nonchalant. Green is just overwhelming and blinding. Thanx a lot.