CMA Presents "Snares, Traps, and Surprises: Developing the Global Positioning System"

Known as the "father of GPS," Bradford Parkinson was the main advocate and chief architect of the Global Positioning System. From 1972 to 1978, he led the development, launch, and testing of the system that has caused a quiet revolution in navigation around our planet, and now has over 150 million users.

In 1973, many current applications were foreseen. On the other hand, the accuracy enhancements created by Stanford researchers and others, as well as commercial companies, have led to some surprising new applications. In developing GPS, there were also snares and traps along the way—not just technical, but also political and other constraints that Professor Parkinson will describe. Some of these development challenges may also be applicable to the European satellite-based navigation system called Galileo.

Professor Parkinson is Chairman of the JPL Advisory Council, and Chairman of the Aerospace Corporation Board of Trustees. For his contribution to the development of GPS, he was co-recipient of the Charles Stark Draper Prize in 2003, sharing the $500,000 award with Dr. Ivan Getting. The engineering profession's equivalent of the Nobel Prize, this award recognizes engineering achievements that have led to important contributions to everyday life.

This event is free. All members of the Campus and JPL communities and retirees are welcome. Caltech personnel and guests can access the auditorium via the external gate. For more information about this event, please send e-mail to [email protected] or call Kent Frewing, (818) 354-3402.