Did you know that the GPS is the most developed way of navigating? Did you know that it has been around for several decades? There are some really interesting things to know about the GPS system.

Before the GPS (Global Positioning System) the best way to get around was not always the most accurate. People had to go out to roads and make maps. You had to give a specific address if you were broken down on the side of the road. Well, operator I'm near mile marker so and so in the east bound lane. Being found was even harder if you were lost in the woods or stuck in a ditch out of view of the road traffic.

Telling accurate time was based on the position of the stars and rotation of the Earth. Later, getting around was based on compass and the stars. In 1957, the Soviet Union put Sputnik up in the sky. This was the first satellite that mankind had ever seen. Now there were all types of things that could be done for knowing location and time better then before. The 1957 Sputnik told us that we can be on the ground and know the exact location of the "artificial star". Better yet, we can track it from the ground.

Later in 1965 the US government had some subs that needed to stay hidden. The subs needed to be able to navigate without coming to the surface. The government developed a new system called a transit system. Subs could tell where they were without leaving the deep water. This was great to help them get around without the enemy seeing them come to the surface. The subs did this from the radio signals of all the satelittes up in the sky, which were started by the 1957 Sputnik.

So later in 1973 the Department of Defense decided that we needed this type of thing for land too. Subs were doing great! Five years later in 1978 they came up with the Global Positioning System. Now land or sea you could tell exactly where you were on the ground because of the satellites that were up in the air.

In 1993 they got it so precise that it operated 24/7. It was in 1993 that it started becoming popular for regular people to have a GPS receiver. The market for how non-military people could benefit became huge.

The satelittes always orbit at a certain rate and time. They send radio signals out. The receivers are designed to pick up satellites in range. They then do their thing and tell you exactly where you are located. They will also tell you how to get somewhere if you know the address. You can even use the receivers to mark locations.

Who would've known that putting Sputnik in the sky in 1957 would result in the 1993 emmergence of the general public having GPS devices and receivers? You will see them advertised in cars and cell phones because the technology has become so advanced. The bouncing signals from the satellites tell you where you are at all times.

Resources for this article:
www.beyonddiscovery.org

Learn more about this author, Joyce Priddy.
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