GPS, GPS System might begin to fail in 2010, Government Accountability Office warns
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted May 19th 2009 9:37PM
posted May 19th 2009 9:37PM
[Via Fox News]
GPS, posted May 19th 2009 9:37PM
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lol
that was my reaction... oh doomsayers! every religion has one, even when it is not a religion.
Does anyone really care? The newer, more accurate EU funded network will be operational by then.
Exactly, the EU system is by far more advance but i suppose America wont like using something that isn't under their control...
Funny, my GPS has an accuracy of ~1-2 meters, the same accuracy that I'd have to pay the EU to use Galileo's more accurate signal (the free signal is has an accuracy of ~4 meters). The EU could have just complemented their system with something like WAAS for a very low cost, but they're in a pissing match with the US to prove they know how to invent stuff too. It seems like EU countries would do well to invent something that NO ELSE HAS THOUGHT OF instead of just copying stuff marginally better at a higher cost.
Ok first off im in the air force and im a satellite operator for GPS
second Europes Satellites are crap they have repeatedly asked us to help them firgure out basic problems such as how to manage the constellation.
and we at 2 SOPS are doing a damn good job at keeping GPS in prime shape I promise you all it wont fail anytime in our lifetime.
How can there be a robot apacolypse with no functional gps system? ...Seems like a much simpler Matrix solution than scorching the sky to me =)
Are Russian, Chinese, India and European systems compatible with current consumer gear?
Actually, no. Chinese GPS system works very differently from US system, they are much secure.
Nah, you can prolly purchase your chinese GPS Satellite at Wally World for $99
China's Space Walk Was FAKE and they have a primitive GPS
lol,dear DJ Brunkow
Actually China doesn't exist at all. Chinese people just lie there is a land named China.
lol
DJ Brunkow @ May 20th 2009 12:03AM
China's Space Walk Was FAKE and they have a primitive GPS
NOOOOOOOO!
I'm terrible at directions....
*checks avatar*
Mate you don't have any problem , you have all the young scouts to guide you :P
I too need to find an immediate cure for my poor sense of direction. Sigh!
Find Galaleo!
Shit. error 404
Satilite not found.
And we were worried about Y2K. Planes will crash, restaurants directions will be wrong, grand-ma\s going to end up in a ditch somewhere.
You say that as if people don't already drive into ditches while following their GPS.
new terminator movie.. GPS failing... skynet is cuming! COVER UR FACE!
Ewwwwwww
This will delay Skynet.
Yummy!
between this, internet failing, robots, global warming, atom collider, the mayan callendar prediction, this should be interesting
Seriously. We are going to be screwed into the next dimension
That whale can't breath! But it sorta looks dead already...
Why can't it breathe? Whales are mammals, they breathe in air through their blow hole.
Unless you know about some international cover up where there really is air in space....I'd say its dead.
it is a common misconception that whales live in water, they have infact always lived in space. They do sometimes come to earth for baths in its salty water. Their baths often last for decades. But yes whales can breathe and swim in space. It's a beautiful and fasinating site when a whale comes out of its bath. Amazing!
Long live the Zypods!
Gov't == corporations == they are begging to have another Y2K situation, cause it:
a. justified spending a lot, and I mean A LOT.
b. justifies work to commerical subs. (did you know gov't contracting is a huge biz and why everyone living around DC makes 25% more than the rest of the country).
Every few years a group of gov't wonks will supply a Y2K scenario and justify spending billions (well trillions nowadays).
As for GPS upgrades, I'm for it, I can now get back into the satellite biz :) vs this stupid web 2.0 stuff...
Yes, I'm bitter from the Iridium days.
Do you realize how much code was redone for Y2K? I love ignorant fucks like you who scream that we over reacted. No, nothing happened because the world worked its collective asses off to test, retest, and test again every system out there. Do you know how many jobs were out there just to go around to airports to test terminals? How many collages were pumping out Cobol and fortran programmers on a monthly basis and how many jobs were out there for said programmers?
Again we fix the problem before it happened and that was why there was no meltdown, not because there wasn't a problem.
First of all this is bad news because the time provided from GPS sattelites is considered a Stratum I timing source used for more than navigation. It is also used for timing for telecommunications. Also for all of the Y2K proponents. I tried it on both of my non compliant computers and the only bad thing that happened was that the clock reset to 1/1/1900 00:01 yup... thats it a minor annoyance no exploding CPUs no case fires nothing. So despite the GPS system potentially failing knocking out reliable communications signals and navigation(Which I highly doubt will happen unless the government would like to put a cesium beam clock in every comm terminal which would cost way more than just maintaining the new GPS constellation), even if it does happen, I think life will go on. I always liked using google maps more than my GPS anyway, also if it comes to using land nav with a compass, protractor, and map so be it, I am trained to do that too.
The biggest potential problem with Y2K wasn't the clock on your computer. It was things like financial records. Imagine how much interest you could earn in -100 years!
Thats a shame, I actually do find some use for the GPS in my phone from time to time...
GPS isn't going anywhere. Almost everything the military has relies on GPS now. Bombs jets ships troops. Plus tons of consumer devices. Worst case scenario is that private companies launch satellites but I doubt it would even come to that.
lol
and the [Via Fox News] really makes the article
Considering the US Gov single-handidly pays for a system that the whole world uses, I'm not surprised. EU and China need to stop slacking off and get Galileo into gear. You can't expect us Americans to pay for your right to drive under bridges too low for your double-deckers.
But, but, but, the US Government is in a new era. Where we should do everything possible to make other countries have that warm, snuggly, happy feeling in their wittle bellies. The US spending money to help the rest of the world, even if they will not help the US or themselves, is only the right thing to do. And if someone does drive under a bridge that is too low, then we as Americans should be willing to accept all blame for our failures and make reparations to that person who ran into the bridge for our incompetence.
Actually, Shyam, the US tried very hard to STOP the europeans from building Galileo. The US GPS system is primarily a military system. When Europe decided to proceed with Galileo, the US viewed it as a threat in that they would not have control over the rival system.
So, really, this is not a case of others leaching off the US.
Look at this way, if you live in the US, you pay for the US GPS system regardless if other country's use it or not. I doubt you pay any more or less just cause it's offered free to the rest of the planet and therefore has grown to become very popular (Personally I deem it as one of THE best inventions yet with my sense of direction being as it is!)
I do wonder if there is some sort of licensing system though that other country's pay? I bet other military's have to pay to use it. Anyway, the European project I think has been launched because of the threat of the US government, because for instance UK nuclear missiles and cruise missiles all use the US GPS system hence the launch of Gallileo, I am actually worried about it though as it will be privatised it could mean having to pay more to use GPS?
lol how is GPS supposed to go away? This is the dumbest thing Ive heard all day and at my job, all I do is listen to dumb people say stuff.
The consumer market is FARRRRRRRRRR too saturated with GPS products, and its only getting more and more mainstream and available on more and more devices (Phones, Cameras, Etc)
Outside of that, theres the military market THAT USES GPS EVERY DAY.
So no matter how you look at it, neither one of those parties is gonna let it die.
Nobody wants the GPS network to fall. This is similar to the upgrading of the Hubble telescope. Though it will eventually be replaced, it will have to be maintained until a new standard is widely accepted.
Do you work at an Apple store?
Good sir, if I worked at an Apple store, I would have told you this:
"If you don't upgrade, you're shit out of luck"
Unfortunately, for things like satellites, there is no maintenance. They're like disposable plates, use and throw away. Hubble is special in that it is one of a kind and it costs a lot more to put another Hubble in space then it does to maintain it. For Satellites, it's just build and launch another one. It's cheap enough to launch them these days that it just doesn't make sense to economically to send the man power to space to fix them.
The AirForce should have the time. With both Stargate programs canceled they should have plenty of time and money.
Um, what about Stargate Universe? That's still gonna take up a lot of their time.
And just because we don't get to watch their top secret interplanetary projects on TV doesn't mean it doesn't cost as much time and money to run them. It just means they have to rely more on IOA funding rather than revenue from viewers.
Wow, I'm really blurring the lines between fiction and reality here...
stargate atlantis is canceled too?
I lol'd. Probably the best comment on here.
O btw, the sky is falling.
*facepalm*