GPS Declassified: From Smart Bombs to Smartphones

by Richard D. Easton, Eric F. Frazier, Rick W. Sturdevant (Foreword by)

Overview

GPS Declassified examines the development of GPS from its secret, cold war military roots to its emergence as a worldwide consumer industry. Drawing on previously unexplored documents, the authors examine how military rivalries influenced the creation of GPS and shaped public perceptions about its origin. Since the United States’ first program to launch a satellite in the late 1950s, the nation has pursued dual paths into space—one military and secret, the other scientific and public. Among the many commercial spinoffs this approach has produced, GPS arguably boasts the greatest impact on our daily lives.

Told by a son of a navy insider—whose work helped lay the foundations for the system—and a science and technology journalist, the story chronicles the research and technological advances required for the development of GPS. The authors peek behind the scenes at pivotal events in GPS history. They note how the technology moved from the laboratory to the battlefield to the dashboard and the smartphone, and they raise the specter of how this technology and its surrounding industry affect public policy. Insights into how the system works and how it fits into a long history of advances in navigation tie into discussions of the myriad applications for GPS.

RICHARD D. EASTON has published articles about the origin of GPS in various space-related publications. He holds an MLA from the University of Chicago. His father, Roger L. Easton, led the Space Applications Branch of the Naval Research Laboratory from the Vanguard satellite era to the early days of GPS development.

ERIC F. FRAZIER is a former newspaper reporter who covered governmental affairs for a general audience. His articles about computer security, nanotechnology, and drug marketing research have appeared in a variety of publications. Frazier holds a BS in geography from Appalachian State University.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612344089
Publisher:	Potomac Books
Publication date:	10/01/2013
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Richard D. Easton has published articles about the origin of GPS in various space-related publications. His father, Roger L. Easton, led the Space Applications Branch of the Naval Research Laboratory from the Vanguard satellite era to the early days of GPS development. Eric F. Frazier is a former newspaper reporter who covered governmental affairs for a general audience. His articles about computer security, nanotechnology, and drug marketing research have appeared in a variety of publications.
 

 

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Foreword Rick W. Sturdevant xi

Acknowledgments xv

List of Abbreviations xvii

Introduction 1

1 New Moons Rising: The Satellite Age Arrives 7

2 Weather Permitting: A Brief History of Navigation 31

3 Success Has Many Fathers: Early Concepts for Satellite Navigation 41

4 One System, Two Narratives: Recollections and Documents 57

5 Invisible Stars: How GPS Works 75

6 Going Public: The Roots of Civilian GPS Use 89

7 Going to War: GPS Aids Military Success in the Persian Gulf 109

8 Going Mainstream: A Consumer Industry Is Born 127

9 Where Are We? GPS and GNSS Today 155

10 Going Forward: The Future of GPS 189

Notes 207

Selected Bibliography 283

Index 289

Editorial Reviews

"A fine and entertaining story of the origins of the Global Positioning System, a consequential space-age technology that has affected the lives of hundreds of millions in war and peace. Non-specialist readers will easily understand principles of this sophisticated system and appreciate difficulties of GPS development by visionary individuals."—Mike Gruntman, professor of astronautics at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles and author of Blazing the Trail: The Early History of Spacecraft and Rocketry

"The authors do the impossible, making an intricate technological advance fascinating to read. They offer an informative and well-researched account of how GPS proved its worth even before the system was complete. The results it provided in the Persian Gulf War were truly revolutionary. With this seemingly miraculous kick-off, GPS technology was almost immediately integrated throughout military systems. Entrepreneurs immediately picked up on this and made it equally successful in commerce."—Walter J. Boyne, author of How the Helicopter Changed Modern Warfare and former director of the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution

"GPS Declassified is a carefully researched, well written, fast-paced, and thoroughly enjoyable book."—William F. Mellberg, Space Review

"As an introduction to GPS, its history, uses, issues and concerns GPS Declassified can’t be beat."—Robert Schaefer, New York Journal of Books

"[GPS Declassified] is a good primer and a stimulus to the more challenging aspects of what is now one of the fastest growing sectors in space applications."—Spaceflight

"This book expertly weaves the story of GPS development and its ever-expanding use. . . . Beyond the science of GPS, the authors also provide insight into how societies evolved, grow, and expand."—M. W. Carr, CHOICE

From the Publisher

"[GPS Declassified] is a good primer and a stimulus to the more challenging aspects of what is now one of the fastest growing sectors in space applications."—Spaceflight

Spaceflight

"This book is an essential history of how this technology came to be, how it works, and where it may be going in the future."—John Walker, Fourmilog

Fourmilog - John Walker

“A fine and entertaining story of the origins of the Global Positioning System, a consequential space-age technology that has affected the lives of hundreds of millions in war and peace. Non-specialist readers will easily understand principles of this sophisticated system and appreciate difficulties of GPS development by visionary individuals.”—Mike Gruntman, professor of astronautics at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles and author of Blazing the Trail: The Early History of Spacecraft and Rocketry
 

Michael Gruntman

"GPS Declassified is a carefully researched, well written, fast-paced, and thoroughly enjoyable book."—William F. Mellberg, Space Review

Space Review - William F. Mellberg

"This book expertly weaves the story of GPS development and its ever-expanding use. . . . Beyond the science of GPS, the authors also provide insight into how societies evolved, grow, and expand."—M. W. Carr, Choice

Choice - M. W. Carr

"As an introduction to GPS, its history, uses, issues and concerns GPS Declassified can’t be beat."—Robert Schaefer, New York Journal of Books

New York Journal of Books - Robert Schaefer

“The authors do the impossible, making an intricate technological advance fascinating to read. They offer an informative and well-researched account of how GPS proved its worth even before the system was complete. The results it provided in the Persian Gulf War were truly revolutionary. With this seemingly miraculous kick-off, GPS technology was almost immediately integrated throughout military systems. Entrepreneurs immediately picked up on this and made it equally successful in commerce.”—Walter J. Boyne, author of How the Helicopter Changed Modern Warfare and former director of the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution

Walter J. Boyne