Smithsonian Time and Navigation Exhibit Opens Friday
April 10, 2013
A major exhibition opening April 12, “Time and Navigation: the untold story of getting from here to there,” […]
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A major exhibition opening April 12, “Time and Navigation: the untold story of getting from here to there,” […]
Bradford W. Parkinson, professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Emeritus at Stanford University, discussed “GPS for Humanity — The […]
Dr. Bradford W. Parkinson, professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Emeritus at Stanford University will discuss “GPS for Humanity […]
As part of the Stanford Engineering Hero Lecture Series, Brad Parkinson will present a talk on “GPS for Humanity” Monday, April 30, at 7 p.m. Pacific Time. The lecture will be broadcast online at no charge. If you would like to view the live broadcast, register at the Stanford University site.
The recent furor concerning President Obama telling Israel to withdraw to its 1967 pre-war boundaries brought back some vivid memories for me. I was there in Israel in 1967, coincidentally and thus unintentionally covering the Six-Day War for Radio Free Europe, along with several other genuinely surprised correspondents and journalists. We encountered many unusual situations and not a few difficulties, which I will relate shortly.
In his Mideast statement, the President obviously misread his GPS (Geo-Political Situation) where Israel is concerned. He, along with his appointee at the Federal Communications Commission, also misreads the needs of this nation, and here I’m talking about the real GPS — the Global Positioning System.
The two scenarios — Israel in 1967 and the United States today — are connected, and that connection has to do with GPS. I urge all my readers to take prompt action, as outlined at the end of this column. Believe me, it is in your own best interest.
Don Jewell (DJ), our Defense Editor, caught up with Colonel Bernard Gruber (BG), the newest director of the newly renamed Global Positioning Systems Directorate at SMC in Los Angeles, California. They discussed the current status of the GPS program and the way ahead. Don caught Colonel Gruber just before he departed for the East Coast for an Executive-Level Acquisition Course at the Defense Acquisition University at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Excerpt: “The articles in the May and June issues of GPS World on the origins of GPS by Drs. Bradford Parkinson and Stephen Powers presented a detailed view of the people involved in the development of the GPS Program. This view on the origin of GPS essentially begins with the so-called “Lonely Halls” meeting where Dr. Parkinson and a group of Air Force officers invented the GPS concept that was subsequently developed by the teams of people discussed in some detail.” PLUS: Brad Parkinson replies.
The first time I ever heard of the Magnavox Research Laboratory in Torrance, California, was in 1966, as a young engineer working at Hughes Aircraft. We were building large (46-foot diameter) ground stations for the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS). Magnavox was supplying the secret anti-jam modems used in the terminals.
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