1976: The first military GPS five-channel receiver built in one of several programs that studied the feasibility of GPS. The receiver weighed more than 270 pounds and had seats for two operators. (Image: Rockwell Collins/Smithsonian)
Half a century ago, on December 22, 1973, Deputy Secretary of Defense William P. Clements, on the recommendation of the Defense Systems Acquisition and Review Council, directed the entire Department of Defense — through the Navstar GPS Joint Program Office, under the spectacular leadership of Col. Bradford Parkinson — to proceed with the GPS program. While this magazine mostly focuses on the present and the future, we occasionally pause to remember how it all began.
In the following articles, we are lucky to benefit from the long memories of four gentlemen who were there. Read the full articles.
“Lost in the desert, they demanded GPS” by Gaylord Green
“From ‘We don’t need it’ to ‘We can’t live without it’” by Martin Faga
“They used GPS even before it was fully built” by Dave Zilkoski
“GPS: The birth of the commercial GPS industry and how it changed the world” by Charles R. Trimble