Missed an Important Birthday
Will I be showing my age if I bring up the movie Wild in the Streets and President Neil Sky’s aversion to trusting anyone over 30? The folks who dreamed that saying up are now all long over thirty … but not many realize that "live" GPS is now over thirty as well.
A tip of the blog hat to Tim Flight over at the GPS Review for posting a note on the anniversary of the first GPS satellite from Vandenberg AFB, California on the 22nd of February back in 1978.
Even though there are hundreds of thousands of us depending on signals from the existing GPS system every second of the day, I’m pretty surprised how little note was made of this event.
It’s always "good fun" to mock government programs, especially military programs of note … like the $600 toilet seat … a myth even older than GPS … and after 38 years with the Air Force, some of that time in program acquisition activities I can agree there are stories worth mocking … but we really should give credit where credit is due.
The NAVSTAR-GPS program was a US military research, development and acquisition program from day one. The program still operates 100% today under the funding,control and day-to-day direction of the US military … in particular the 2nd Space Wing at Schriever AFB in Colorado.
We haven’t has a president since Ronald Reagan who gave a care what other countries thought of the US … and it’s pretty fashionable all around the world to make fun of the USA … and that’s fine … I advocate freedom of expression everywhere … but make sure you aren’t using your GPS to find your way to the protest rally, ‘kay?
Happy Birthday GPS