Global Positioning System (GPS) and satellite telemetry and timing guru Roger L. Easton was inducted today into the US National Inventors Halls of Fame for his work in spacecraft tracking and navigation technology.
Easton pioneered satellite tracking as they floated through space, which lead to his modern day GPS technology. Since its invention GPS Technology has been used in from finding directions to tracking endangered species and much more.
Easton started working at the Naval Research Laboratory in 1943 and helped develop, the very first satellite tracking system, which led to "time navigation".
"Roger's career contributions and his keen ability to develop new, bigger 'problem sets' from his experiences are what impressed me most," said the director of the US Naval Center for Space Technology, Pete Wilhelm, "his leap in vision led to the United States' first satellite tracking network and patent of synchronized timing of spacecraft which became the fundamental basis for GPS."
In the 60’s and 70’s the programs were used to launch experimental satellites, the last of which was the first to be tracked by GPS in its 12 hour orbit.
Easton registered the GPS patent in 1974, under the name "Navigation System Using Satellites and Passive Ranging Techniques."
After his work in labs, however, Easton served two terms in the New Hampshire State Assembly and ran for Governor in 1986.
So, thank you Mr. Easton for helping us find our way.
/GPS4us News/ Let’s say you decide to go camping. And you park your car or truck at the cabin and head out for a long hike, particularly in the middle of winter. Where the trees are stark and barren. The sun is gorgeous against the white horizon. And, as you’re exploring Mother Nature snow begins to drift down from above and the sun begins to set quickly. Dusk comes and you’ve lost your location. Do you remember which way to the cabin? Or better yet your way back? To the beginning of the trail?
/GPS4us News/ Paul van Rensburg and his dog Juanita set sail 17 days ago from Tauranga and has been missing since then.
Police and marine authorities are using GPS to help provide information to what happened to missing boatman Paul van Rensburg. Rensburg has been missing for three days and despite all search team efforts in Gisborne, Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion found Mr. van Rensburg’s yacht, Tafadzwa, on Sunday on a training exercise, about 110kn west of the Chatham Islands. When authorities arrived and boarded the ship, there was no sign of Mr. van Rensburg or his dog, Juanita. The yacht went under a forensic investigation soon after it was discovered in the Chatham’s.
/GPS4us News/ Garmin today announced the expansion to its Forerunner series of fitness GPS devices with the Forerunner 110 sports watch for walkers, joggers, runners and athletes. The watch is set with essential real-time workout information, designed to easily track progress in exercise goals and training. The water-resistant watch is set up to be give runners any information needed without a complicated interface.
/GPS4us News/ InvisiTrack unveiled a new location system (LS)that the company claims will surpass GPS handhelds while used indoors and outside. LS will be sold to manufactures and will be available to Smartphone providers.
Invisitrack claims LS to be so accurate within less than 3 meters indoors and 1 meter outdoors without using or relying on an infrastructure. What makes this seemingly impossible feature possible? Instead of using a fixed matrix InvisiTrack devices can work by proximity with one another and form a mesh network. By tracking one device with another the user can get a pinpoint fix than just relying on GPS coverage, says the company. Another interesting feature – the LS can position the user in 3D including altitude or even state which floor the user might be on.
/GPS4us News/ An airline crew of a plane approaching Moscow was forced to make belly landing using a passenger’s pocket GPS device, instead of the airports navigation system.
A Tu-204, a modern Russian airliner, was returning from a flight to Egypt on Monday when it needed to make an emergency landing, during a heavy fog and ended up crashing in the woods near Moscow’s Domodedovo International Airport. The plan had carried over 200 passengers to Egypt and arrived there safely, on the return flight only the crewmembers were aboard the plane. The crewmembers were injured and the aircraft was damaged.
/GPS4us News/ Flying just got easier for pilots and passengers. Just this past week the Senate passed the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, which allows aviation centers to upgrade from radar, based infrastructures to GPS technology systems.
/GPS4us News/ What to choose? What to choose? With so many mobile GPS devices and applications for hand helds it’s hard to decide especially when new apps keep popping up. But if you’re in the market for a solid GPS app for your iPhone, there is a new one from long time GPS industry contender NAVIGON.
/GPS4us News/ In the last ten years Greenland’s ice sheet has been losing ice in the southern region of the country has recently now made its up to the northwest coast. A new international study shows the increase in ice-loss began to move up the northwest coast late in 2005.
