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GPS Test Successful From Outer Space
An anonymous reader writes: "AMSAT reports that the GPS experiment
on the international amateur radio spacecraft AO-40 has undergone successful testing." A note on the site reads in part: "This experiment supplied and sponsored by NASA, is to determine if it is possible to get positional data outside of the GPS ring of satellites.
There are two GPS receivers on AO-40, the A receiver for receiving signals around apogee and the B receiver for signal reception around perigee. ... A signal on the apogee receiver from about 52 Thousand Kilometres out with good signal levels has been received, further data is being gathered and those
downloaded so far are being analysed. If this experiment goes the way I expect, it will revolutionise the way we use GPS in Space. Many future HEO spacecraft will
be able to take advantage of GPS for autonomous navigation
and stationkeeping." This is one of the most interesting applications of GPS technology I've heard about -- nice way to reuse what was intended as a terrestrial navigation aid.
Well then we must OUTLAW ALL FORMS OF IT and discontinue any research on the subject!!
...wait a second, you said terrestrial navigation aid. Heh. I thought it was terrorist navigation aid.
Keeping
Maybe it's time to rename the thing to the "Galactic Positioning System." Seriously, this thing seems to have the potential to make space probe control and navigation much easier and more accurate. It should be very interesting to see what applications come of this.
"No, no, no. Don't tug on that. You never know what it might be attached to."
OH NO!!!!!
now what am I going to do?
now i am not safe anywhere from the government tracking me with GPS
They must have grown suspicous during my occasional trips to the mother ship
now we will be found out
*sigh*
i knew the anal probing days had to come to an end
The Borg assimilated my race & all I got was this lousy T-shirt
isnt this sort of backwards-engineering against the DMCA?
is the RIAA going to sue NASA now?
My Cache is located at N 37 50.047 W 122 13.809 A 56,000 km. It contains a compass, a dollar bill and a 5kg nuclear core. Please sign the log.
"Get them before they get....
Now maybe NASA can tell whether their probes are 100 meters or 100 feet away from smacking into Mars.
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I am an expert in electricity. My father held the chair of applied electricity at the state prision.
Better start sending positionning signals into space TODAY, because when we'll reach warp drive capabilities, we'll travel faster than the radio signal, and I don't want any excuses for those people to be Lost and waiting for the signal to catch up on them.
--- Metamoderating abusive downgraders since my 300th post.