| The Global Positioning
System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a
network of 27 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department
of Defense. GPS was originally intended for military applications,
but in the 1980s, the government made the system available for civilian
use. GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the world,
24 hours a day. There are no subscription fees or setup charges
to use GPS.
The 24 satellites that make up the GPS space segment are orbiting
the earth about 12,000 miles above us. They are constantly moving,
making two complete orbits in less than 24 hours. These satellites
are travelling at speeds of roughly 7,000 miles an hour.
GPS satellites are powered by solar energy. They have backup batteries
onboard to keep them running in the event of a solar eclipse, when
there's no solar power. Small rocket boosters on each satellite
keep them flying in the correct path.
GPS satellites transmit two low power radio signals, designated
L1 and L2. Civilian GPS uses the L1 frequency of 1575.42 MHz in
the UHF band. The signals travel by line of sight, meaning they
will pass through clouds, glass and plastic but will not go through
most solid objects such as buildings and mountains.
A GPS signal contains three different bits of information —
a pseudorandom code, ephemeris data and almanac data.
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