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| Rocket blasts into space carrying Air Force GPS satellite | |
| 2004-03-21 | |
A Boeing Delta 2 rocket roared from its seaside launch pad Saturday, carrying into orbit a $45 million Air Force Global Positioning System satellite. The Lockheed Martin-built satellite joins a working constellation of 27 others already in orbit. The satellites are arranged along six different planes in circular mid-earth orbits nearly 11,000 nautical miles above the earth. This newest satellite will replace an aging one that is nearing the end of its useful life. It is one of a group of advanced GPS satellites that provide more accurate signals than their predecessors. The new unit, which is to begin service in mid-April, has a life expectancy of 10 years. The mission was dedicated to the late Dr. Ivan A. Getting, who is considered the father of the GPS system. A small metal plate on the satellite bears a message honoring Getting.
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #6 What a bunch of maroons, this is the new model special GPS with the variable accuracy loyalty module built into the zirconium baseplate. In other woids... don't trust this satellite it's the Haliburton model. I have already found myself with it through my new fillings. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-3-21 4:56:36 PM |
| #5 Isn't 10cm the normal military accuracy? I know 1m is relatively normal for civilian units now, at least the newer ones with WAAS. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-3-21 10:39:59 AM |
| #4 Targetting eyeballs,now that is impressive. |
| Posted by: Raptor 2004-3-21 9:40:39 AM |
| #3 10cm? Does this mean some spy in Miami fires a GPS bullet and smacks Fidel in the head, thus ending one of this interminable 8 hour speeches? |
| Posted by: ed 2004-3-21 8:07:03 AM |
| #2 any you guys heard about how the US Space Command guys managed to make the Sats over Iraq during the lsast war almost twice as acurate, its all public stuff how they did it but very interesting if you like stuff like that,something about the way they timed the sats coming over or something,to complex for me.Theers also said to be another part of the GPS system coming online that is even more accurate,last i heard it was called gridlock and has accuracy down to about 10cm.not sure if its being used yet or why you'd need it that good.Read that it might be for very important target use only like by spec forces and the like,I suppose its just natural anyway they'd want to make it more accurate. |
| Posted by: Jon Shep U.K 2004-3-21 7:10:29 AM |
| #1 Better than that Mr. White. It's about signals so accurate we can drop cement bombs instead of explosives. |
| Posted by: Classic_Liberal 2004-3-21 3:11:18 AM |