1989: The first of 24 satellites that will make up the global positioning system is put into orbit.

GPS revolutionized navigation, both at sea and on land, by providing position reports with unprecedented, pinpoint accuracy. Each satellite is placed in a specific orbit at a specific altitude to ensure that four or five satellites are always within range from any point on the planet. A GPS receiver picks up signals from the satellites and trilaterates the data to fix the position.

This satellite system is so valuable — besides navigation, GPS has applications in mapmaking, land-surveying and the accurate telling of time — that even though it was developed and is maintained by the U.S. Department of Defense, it’s been available since 1993 without charge to anyone, anywhere on Earth.

Although GPS has eliminated the need for determining a ship’s position by shooting the sun or stars, no sailor worthy of the name would put to sea, even now, without the ability to use a sextant. Electronic navigation devices fail, and even GPS isn’t immune to the odd glitch, and the open ocean is a lonely place to be if you don’t know where you are.

Source: Peter H. Dana, The Geographer’s Craft Project; Wikipedia

Image: Artist’s rendering of GPS satellite courtesy NASA.

This article first appeared on Wired.com Feb. 14, 2007.

See Also:

• This Day in Tech — May 3, 2000: Geocaching Gets Geeks Into the Great Outdoors
• Epicenter — The Future of Geo-Location: Faith, or Science?
• Wired Science — Pulsing Stars Could Fill in for GPS Satellites
• Threat Level — Caught Spying on Student, FBI Demands GPS Tracker Back
• Autopia — Haptic GPS Let Your Fingers Do the Driving
• Gadget Lab — Nike SportWatch GPS Eyes Fitness Fanatics
• Danger Room — Latest Launch Brings China Closer to ‘GPS’ of Its Own
• Geek Dad — Geocaching as a Family Day Out
• Alt Text — Wilderness Survival, iPhone-Style
• How-To Wiki — Geotag Your Photos
• Product Reviews — GPS Travel Companions
• Full Wired.com Coverage of Global Positioning Systems
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• March 24, 1989: Valdez Spill Causes Environmental Catastrophe
• March 29, 1989: The Louvre Gets a Brand New Look
• July 19, 1989: Human Heroics Overcome Aircraft Failure in Sioux City
• July 26, 1989: First Indictment Under Computer Fraud Act
• Aug. 21, 1989: Voyager 2 Reaches Triton
• Aug. 25, 1989: Voyager 2, Meet Neptune
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