A good thing I guess. Can't think of anything bad. Although you are VERY wrong in thinking we have a monopoly on all things space-related..Originally Posted by thrashaholic
Re: European GPS system
A good thing I guess. Can't think of anything bad. Although you are VERY wrong in thinking we have a monopoly on all things space-related..
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Re: European GPS system
Good for the EU. Now quit whining about the internet and make your own.
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Re: European GPS system
All we need is a lot of string and some empty baked-bean tins!
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Re: European GPS system
Frankly I don't see much of a progress from one satelite. Also consider that Russia already has its own system called GLOSNAS, and last I checked Russia was in Europe(except the dead Siberian part). The thing to remember is that the US has about 24 satelites working for the GPS system around the world, and this system is run by the US military, and they can turn it off whenever they want(and they do that often too!).
Re: European GPS system
Sure seems like a lot of money and effort just to "keep up with the Jones's".
Still, it's your tax dollars, not mine, so: go for it - and hurrah for that.
'American monopoly' seems a slight misrepresentation, (albeit a fashionable one in many quarters) since GP service is provided free, aside from the cost of hardware. Is anyone aware of some profit gained by providing GPS worldwide, with an average uptime of 99.98% http://www.gpsworld.com/gpsworld/art....jsp?id=188222 ?
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Re: European GPS system
The first two satellites are testing platforms... the system will rely on 30 of these in total and in future receivers are to be made that can work with both the US and EU systems.
With the advancement of atomic clocks and the ability to make them hand held (it can be done, just not at a commerically viable level yet) ...the accuracy of the clocks is one of the things that helps pinpoint your position by comparing your time with that of 3 GPS sats (it can be done with 2 but accuracy is not that good)... and the age of the US fleet and the amount of people wishing to use these systems increasing it is a good thing that the EU chips into the system.
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Re: European GPS system
Also the EU system will be free for the public (1m accuracy), for commerical users they will have to pay (1cm accuracy) with the exception of safety... seach and rescue, air traffic will get the commerical accuracy but be free from what I can gather.
Our genes maybe in the basement but it does not stop us chosing our point of view from the top.
Pape for global overlord!!
Re: European GPS system
the problem isn´t one of having to pay for it....it´s knowing that if the US military wants too, it can shut down the system and leave everyone else hanging.
One shouldn´t depend on someone else for something of this importance.
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Re: European GPS system
Huh? CERN created the World Wide Web; go and use the ARPANET, if you insist.
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Re: European GPS system
One of the guys envolved in the Galileo project was my lecturer last year. Small world.
BTW, about the american monopoly of 'space'. You are forgetting that most aircraft are still built in Russia. Even the NASA ones. you can google for 'Energia increasing production' Energia is a russian company that builds spacecraft.
Makes you miss the cold war doesn't it?
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Re: European GPS system
Redundancy for a system like GPS is a good thing. I also like the "cooperative" research aspects of the ESA focusing on projects like ion drives while NASA tries the big stuff. We have a lot more to spend and I'm dying for a hunk of moon cheese.
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Re: European GPS system
It's that it won't be turned off which is the important bit. Imagine if it was turned off for 'safety' just as a few airliners are landing. Could lead to lots of dead people.
Re: European GPS system
It cannot be completely turned off. It just turns on selective availability. It causes the following problems:
degradation of the GPS range signal
orbit errors (ephemeris)
clock errors (dithering)
SA on: position accuracy 100 m.
SA off : accuracy 10 m.
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