[Az-Geocaching] Euro GPS Network - One yard accuracy

Cody Brown listserv@azgeocaching.com
Tue, 27 May 2003 08:19:54 -0700


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 Euro GPS network gets green light                                     =
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 PARIS, France (CNN) --European governments have given the final go-ahe=
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 for the launch of the Galileo satellite navigation network, Europe's  =
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 answer to the U.S.-controlled Global Positioning System.              =
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 The long-delayed $3.6 billion (3.2 billion euro) system, Europe's bigg=
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 ever infrastructure project, will be based on 30 satellites and should=
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 operational by 2008.                                                  =
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 Final agreement on the network was reached Monday at a meeting in Pari=
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 members of the European Space Agency (ESA).                           =
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 Galileo will be used to improve traffic management on land, sea and in=
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 air around the world, as well as aiding all forms of navigation and   =
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 activities such as oil prospecting, scientific research and even hikin=
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 "This is a great day for Europe in general and its space community in =
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 particular," ESA director Antonio Rotota said in a statement. "Our mem=
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 states have reached agreement in the common interest."                =
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 ESA says the Galileo program will give a much-needed boost to Europe's=
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 ailing space industry, creating about 140,000 jobs and "a 460 percent =
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 return on investment."                                                =
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 Unlike the American GPS system, Galileo will be under full civilian   =
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 control.                                                              =
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 One meter accuracy                                                    =
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 The U.S. satellite network is controlled by the Pentagon, which can   =
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 downgrade or totally disable non-military access during conflicts.    =
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 Galileo's civilian signal will also give locations accurate to within =
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 meter (one yard) -- a significant improvement on that offered by the G=
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 system.                                                               =
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 The U.S. regards Galileo as a challenge to its superiority in space   =
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 technology and argues that it duplicates GPS.                         =
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 Last year Deputy U.S. Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz warned that the=
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 European network would "significantly complicate our ability to ensure=
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 availability of critical military GPS services in a time of crisis, an=
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 the same time assure that adversary forces are denied similar         =
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 capabilities."                                                        =
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 ESA is playing down any rivalry with the American system, saying in it=
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 statement Monday that Galileo would "complement" the GPS network.     =
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 The agency says devices for receiving Galileo's signals will be       =
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 interoperable with equipment used on GPS and GLONASS -- the partially =
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 operable Russian-built network.                                       =
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 The first experimental Galileo satellite is due to be launched in 2004=
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 will act as a test bed for the network's systems.                     =
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 When complete Galileo will comprise 30 satellites (27 operational and =
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 spares) positioned in three circular orbits 23,616 kilometers (14,677 =
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 miles) above the Earth.                                               =
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 Find this article at:                                                 =
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 http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/05/27/europe.galileo/index.html    =
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