The U.S. government has announced increasing concern over the quality of its Global Positioning System (GPS), which could begin to deteriorate as early as next year, resulting in regular blackouts and failures – or even dishing out inaccurate directions to millions of people worldwide [The Guardian]. The possibility that new satellites would not be launched in time was announced in late April, but the warning was stepped up this week in a government statement that recognized cost over-runs of defence department space programmes [Nature] as part of the problem.
The functioning of GPS relies on a network of satellites that constantly orbit the planet and beam signals back to the ground that help pinpoint your position on the Earth’s surface [The Guardian]. GPS service cannot maintain its level of precision if old satellites wear out before new satellites are launched as replacements, and the ability of the system to provide full coverage could dip below 95% between 2010 and 2014, when the Air Force plans to begin replacing the current block of satellites with a newer generation [Nature], warned the report by the Government Accountability Office.
The satellites currently in orbit have been maintained by the U.S. Air Force since the early 1990s, and according to the report, the potential failures are due to mismanagement and a lack of investment. “It’s not that people will suddenly not be able to use the system, but if you start to lose satellites then maybe the performance starts to degrade slightly” [Nature] said Marek Ziebart, a space geodesist (a scientist who measures the Earth and its gravitational field). The most likely failures would occur in the atomic clocks and reaction control wheels in the satellites, which are equipped with back-up parts, but time has already taken its toll on all but the last atomic clock on 18 US GPS navigation satellites, according to a recent unclassified US Air Force report [Nature]. If the failures do occur, the report warned, “some military operations and some civilian users could be adversely affected” [The Guardian].
There are 31 functional GPS satellites in orbit now, with only 24 needed to provide full coverage, but “the more the better…. To measure sea levels reliably you want lots of satellites and you want them working well” [Nature], said Ziebart. Air Force Colonel Dave Buckman admitted “that there’s a potential risk, but GPS isn’t falling out of the sky — we have plans to mitigate risk and prevent a gap in coverage” [Nature].
Related Content:
80beats: NASA Micro-Satellite Will Bring Drug Testing into Orbit
80beats: Space Shuttle Grabs Hubble Telescope, and Astronauts Begin Repairs
Image: NASA
May 21st, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Live Science (07 January 2009) about 2012, Solar Storm and NASA – A new study from the National Academy of Sciences outlines grim possibilities on Earth for a worst-case scenario solar storm… the next peak in solar activity is expected to come around 2012… The report was commissioned and funded by NASA. Experts from around the world in industry, government and academia participated.
Damage to power grids and other communications systems could be catastrophic, the scientists conclude, with effects leading to a potential loss of governmental control of the situation… When the sun is in the active phase of its 11-year cycle, it can unleash powerful magnetic storms that disable satellites, threaten astronaut safety, and even disrupt communication systems on Earth:
http://cristiannegureanu.blogspot.com/2009/01/live-science-about-2012-solar-storm-and.html
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:07 am
Obviously your comment has nothing to do with the above article.
Probably just some link to malware.
***
As far as the above article, when I was in the army somebody told me a joke about how the air force vs the army use their budgets.
Army: Uses its budget for maintenance, train troups, and do military actions.
Air Force: Uses its budget for maintenance and training troups. Whenever asked to do military actions they say they need more money.
That’s the joke atleast don’t know the truth of it.
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:57 am
That’ll be an issue since, from what I’ve read, the whole next generation air traffic control is planned to be totally dependent on GPS. ADF is already being decommissioned, and Loran (basically a ground based system that works like GPS) has now been slated for decommissioning. Rumors have it that VOR based navigation is also up in the air. I hope not, since that would be all that we have left if there was a GPS issue (well, not totally true, private pilots like myself can fly by sectional chart, but the airlines would be grounded since they require instrument flight)!
May 22nd, 2009 at 10:50 am
I wonder if the free-for-all GPS service is not the cause of this deficit. Are they planning to charge for it anytime soon?
May 22nd, 2009 at 10:59 am
@ ser sam Maybe they haven’t thought of that yet….mwahahahahaha
May 23rd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Uh, anyone order a pizza? spare me the “whoops we forgot to stay on top of it” line. Its just a money grab so they can build a death star. Now open the door, I’m hungry.
May 24th, 2009 at 11:04 am
RNAV (Area Navigation) uses VORs to create waypoints for air navigation. Even if next-gen ATC system to use GPS, willing to bet it could easily adapt to other systems. In fact, it would be foolish to have it otherwise. This is why VOR system has been kept this long as a GPS backup. So doubt there will be any “grounding” of commercial aviation. The corporate aircraft I fly are perfectly able to be flown without GPS or INS (navigation system using laser gyros, accelerometer, and internal navigation computer) if these systems fail. An older twin I used to fly had an excellent RNAV box, it was always the backup when the GPS would go offline now and then because of an antenna connector problem we later found.
May 26th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Unimpressive. Let’s face facts, they can launch cookie cutter GPS satellites by the dozen. You don’t need a “new generation” of satellites (not that I’m against progress, but if their program is bunged up, you prioritize). You don’t need the space shuttle. You don’t need ion powered engines. You don’t need anything fancy that hasn’t existed since, well, the 1960′s.
The GPS system is one of the best things the military has done for the world, in civilian life. The system won’t be allowed to languish.
April 5th, 2010 at 2:51 am
Oh..not thats a bad news..but i hope govt will handle it…soon..we cant loose this technology
May 13th, 2011 at 9:07 am
Thanks for your posting. My spouse and i have usually seen that a majority of people are desirous to lose weight as they wish to look slim plus attractive. Nevertheless, they do not often realize that there are additional benefits to losing weight additionally. Doctors claim that fat people come across a variety of disorders that can be directly attributed to their excess weight. Fortunately that people who sadly are overweight along with suffering from diverse diseases can help to eliminate the severity of their particular illnesses by means of losing weight. You’ll be able to see a constant but noted improvement with health when even a small amount of losing weight is reached gywl512.
May 24th, 2011 at 11:39 pm
Wow read. Thanks for Posting!
June 9th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Every day, I ask myself all your question, ???How did you make today count??? and if the answer turns out according to be anything of merit, I enter it on my calendar for that day.beats pro by dre methods candy if kids knew their own parent(s) were sincerely waiting – interested inside of all of your directions their very own individual thinking went that day.
June 22nd, 2011 at 11:55 pm
a tall. dark child. was standing before them and was pleading together in low. earnest tones. His voice quivered with anxiety and his hands darted out and in or writhed together in an agony of entreaty. “You cannot do it! You no longer can do it!” he cried.”I implore the tribunal to reconsider this decision.”"Stand aside. brother.” said the existing man who presided.”The case is set and the other is up for judgment.”"For Heaven’s sake be merciful!” cried the young man.”We happen to be merciful.” the other answered.”Death is a small penalty for this offence. Be silent and let judgment take its course.”I saw the young man throw himself in an agony of grief into his chair. I had almost no time. however. to take a position about what it absolutely was that was troubling him. for his eleven colleagues had already fixed their stern eyes upon me.The moment of fate had arrived.”You are Colonel Gerard?” said the terrible old man.”I am.”"Aide-de-camp for the robber who calls himself General Suchet. who in turn represents that arch-robber Buonaparte?
July 20th, 2011 at 11:14 pm
Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to more added agreeable from you! By the way, how could we communicate?