Navigation Satellites Over Europe 155
Snags writes "It looks like Europe is getting its own equivalent to WAAS (a set of ground stations and geostationary satellites which relay information to help GPS accuracy in the US). The EGNOS system system is having a base station inaugurated in Langen, Germany this week. The system augments signals from GPS and Russia's Glonass to provide 2-meter accuracy in Europe. This is the first stage of the Galileo system reported earlier, and I'm sure these satellites and base stations will perform the same function once the Galileo constellation is flying."
brother (Score:3, Funny)
sig(h)
Don't Kid Yourselves (Score:2)
McGwire: Young Bart here is right. We are spying on you, pretty much around the clock.
Bart: But why, Mr. McGwire?
McGwire: Do you want to know the terrifying truth, or do you want to see me sock a few dingers?
Crowd: Dingers! Dingers!
[McGwire hits the long ball]
Oooh!
McGwire: [takes printout] Yoink!
[tucks it under his hat and looks around, suspiciously]
how to get a job there? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:how to get a job there? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:how to get a job there? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:how to get a job there? (Score:3, Informative)
Check it out: Terma [terma.com]; click on jobs.
Re:how to get a job there? (Score:2)
On the other hand, about the only thing I know about "antena's" is that there is a nice introduction to apostrophe usage [angryflower.com] floating around on the web.
Axis of Evil (Score:4, Funny)
Unless US blows it up.... (Score:5, Interesting)
Tragically we know how the US would like to react:
http://www.eetimes.com/sys/news/OEG20030522S0050 [eetimes.com]
The nation's largest intelligence agency by budget and in control of all U.S. spy satellites, NRO is talking openly with the U.S. Air Force Space Command about actively denying the use of space for intelligence purposes to any other nation at any time not just adversaries, but even longtime allies, according to NRO director Peter Teets.
At the National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs in early April, Teets proposed that U.S. resources from military, civilian and commercial satellites be combined to provide "persistence in total situational awareness, for the benefit of this nation's war fighters." If allies don't like the new paradigm of space dominance, said Air Force secretary James Roche, they'll just have to learn to accept it. The allies, he told the symposium, will have "no veto power."
This would not go down to well at all. I know the US economy/military is the biggest in the world - but I still think that a trade war/shooting war with every other country in the world isn't the best way of improving the lives of American citizens.
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:4, Insightful)
I would love to argue about how the size an army MANY times in history has proven to be irrelevant, but considering that both US and EU are "nuclear enabled" (TM), it is made clear that none can win is such a case.
I hust hope that this "we are the ones" mentality stops before it is too late.
Thank you.
Re:3rd Reich Parallels (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:1)
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:3, Insightful)
Translation:
If allies don't like us invading Poland, they'll just have to learn to accept it.
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:1, Insightful)
David Bowie said it first (Score:2)
Re:David Bowie said it first (Score:1)
No SHE isn't !
Laugh, it could be funny.
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:2)
Yeah, no one pays money and:
- Watches American movies
- Drinks American colas
- Eats at American food chains
- Uses American computer software/operating systems
- Buys American music
- Watches American television
... outside of the USA. Right.
It's stupid, blind, anti-American statements like that that make Americans think Europeans are arrogant assholes. I for one have travelled all over the world and find amazing things in many many cultures including Europe.
Correct (Score:2)
Eventually they become your enemies.
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:2)
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:2)
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:2)
Being able to build recon drones that know where they are.
Being able to give special foces soldiers GPS units that tell them accurately where they are.
Also the phrase that was used in the article is 'denying the use of space for intelligence purposes' so it may cover photo-imaging satelites.
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:1)
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made it clear that the abrogation of treaty constraints in the use of radar and tracking devices was not just for the benefit of fielding a missile-defense system, but to build better unilatera
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:3, Insightful)
For millions and billions of years, the planet has managet itself just fine. I don't see any reason why it should all of a sudden need the help of some (parasitic?) humans, especially Donald Rumsfeld...
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:1)
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:1)
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:2, Flamebait)
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:2, Funny)
61% still have a linking for that cokehead turned emperor.
I need to get the hell off this continent.
As a native Central American, I'm insulted. Our part of the continent still rocks! Just cuz you stole the name doesn't mean you annexed us;-) Btw, I'm moving back there next week. Really.
Getting off continents (Score:4, Funny)
Now I haven't quite formulated a plan for escape yet but needless to say, I hope to use GPS for navigation en route.
Rumour has it that this may have been tried before, there is even talk of a tunnel having been built between the U.K and Europe!
Re:Getting off continents (Score:1)
Blair following Bush, they agreed ON ONE THING!!! how is he following him, are you stupid? yes, yes you are.
and you know what the best thing is, Bush is now using Blair's steps to peace between Israel and Palestine... and nobody mention a thing.. and who's copying WHO.
One thing (Score:1)
Obviously thats only a little 'one' thing.
Re:Getting off continents (Score:2)
If only it were. Blair's government undermined a common EU response to the American refusal to deal with the ICC. Blair is busy undermining a common EU position on the import of GM foods and hormone-treated meat. He refuses to confront the US on its illegal steel and agriculture tariffs or the huge subsidies it has been paying to the airline industry. He is in the process of allowing American medi
Re:Getting off continents (Score:1)
Reply to above ( but a bit offtopic ) (Score:1)
The problem is the economy...we don't have the rest of the world depending on us anymore. Thanks to all the jobs exporting programs, we have a lot of our own technology people unemployed. We have ex-aerospace engineers working as countermen at Radio Shack. And as Greeters in Wal-Mart. I know this as fact. I worked along side of them.
Methinks we are really
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Unwise.... (Score:2, Insightful)
This would especially be the case between certain 'western' countries.
US cant jam Galileo (Score:5, Informative)
Biggest military and economy? (Score:2)
but as for strongest military, that would be USA by a nose.
Pity we don't have The Spiders [e-sheep.com] yet.
Re:Biggest military and economy? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Biggest military and economy? (Score:2, Interesting)
Yeah, China against the US would be messy. The US has much better hardware, and probably better trained troops (well apart from those that like to attack their own side, like the American gunner who tried to shoot down a British helicopter in the Gulf, prompting the pilot to punch him screaming "have you ever seen a f***ing Iraqi helicopter?"), but China has so many more soldiers.
In terms of military spending the US is so far ahead of anybody else. China is second and the US spends 12 times as much as Ch
Re:Biggest military and economy? (Score:2)
Re:Biggest military and economy? (Score:1)
simply because they find it impossible to have peacefull relations with everyone else.
Re:Biggest military and economy? (Score:2)
Yeah, it spins my head out that there's an organisation on the planet that spends 30 million dollars every single day.
On the other hand, fighting china is insane not becaus
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:3, Insightful)
Oh I am sure it will go down real well at the GOP convention. Platform for a second term? Tax cuts, two more wars (Syria and Iran) and hope nobody notice continued deficits, recession and decline in influence.
Wellcome to the Neocon world. Oderint dum metuant.
The original idea of Galileo was a gambit to get the US to turn off the dithering that reduces the range for civilian uses. Then when the project was set for the big up or down vote the Bushies chose that week
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:2)
That rings so true. It is exactly how things work here and explains a lot.
I am suprised that in all the anti-French bashing the GOP has got into they have
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:1)
you forgot the Russians in WW2, most of what they did against the Germans was without outside help. Hitler was insane enough to attack them and that alone sealed his death-warrant. They got to Berlin first.
it was my understanding that the allies had purposely halted their advance to let the russians in first To sort-of repay them for the massive losses they incurred, they let the russians serve the death-blow
Does anyone else remember that?
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:2)
You may well be right about the western allies going slow, but that was earlier in the war. I thought they were going pretty much at full speed at the end. As to what would have happened if the landings in France had been moved forwards, the Germans were anything other than pushovers. The Brits / Yanks (
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:2)
Absolutely not, Churchil and FDR knew that Stalin was as bad as Hitler. Stalin actually managed to kill more people over his career, something like 30 million or so.
The US and UK slowed their advance to avoid having their supply lines overstreached. But they were trying to get there as fast as they could.
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:2)
OK they would be speaking either German or Russian...
When you say 'you would all be speaking English', is that a comment on Slashdot spelling?
Sorry old bean I can't understand your accent. Perhaps if you typed a little slower.
There is this thing we have in England called a joke.
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:2)
Are you sure you are English? The authorised version is:
Sorry old bean I can't understand your accent. Perhaps if you typed a little louder.
Wasn't there an episode of 'Rab C. Nesbitt' where he came to London? I never saw that one but was told that subtitles were used.
Re:Unless US blows it up.... (Score:2)
Those who think the US is evil or a big ogre for this have little concept of the difference between the actuality of conflict of national interest and the non-existence o
How dependent is Galileo on US? (Score:5, Interesting)
Or maybe Galileo is Europes way of getting out of exactly such a situation.
On a related note recently when India was evaluating Advanced Jet Trainers the two options were the British and the French but the French were favoured as they use no American components and are thus not hostage to American policy. India has suffered on this count earlier. India used to have a lot of Sea King helicopters produced by the British with American components but after the Nuclear tests the American prevented the British from supplying spare parts
Re:How dependent is Galileo on US? (Score:2)
There will not be any american components in Galileo for precisely the reason you state. We are not entirely stupid here in Europe you know...
Re:How dependent is Galileo on US? (Score:5, Informative)
Considerable industrial returns in manufacturing and services are expected as well. Besides free public accessible signal there will be commercial data stream modulated on basic signal. Users will pay for guaranteed availability and greater precision. AFAIK there should be also high precision signal available only to military and certain public authorities (regulation of air, sea and road transport comes to mind).
THigh lattitude (northern Europe) coverage of GPS isn't very good. By placing satellites in orbits at a greater inclination to the equatorial plane than GPS, Galileo will achieve better coverage at high latitudes.
Re:How dependent is Galileo on US? (Score:1, Flamebait)
Re:How dependent is Galileo on US? (Score:2)
IDS stands for Iain Duncan Smith or something. His idea of the UK's future is allegedly as 'Airstrip One'.
Re:How dependent is Galileo on US? (Score:1, Funny)
How old is the Galileo system? (Score:2, Funny)
The next stage is to integrate components of the Eienstein system to take into account the distortion of space between signal tranmittance and reception.
And you thought you were joking... (Score:1)
Actually, I seem to remember that the GPS system does make use of general relativity for precisely this reason, because the timing signal has to be so accurate. Presumably Galileo will have to do the same thing.
US would like to say thanks and ... (Score:4, Funny)
Well... (Score:2, Insightful)
I think Europe has (doesn't matter on which side you are, but this should be clear) to create new systems which are US-indipendent. Recent events show how important it is to be indipendent, in particular under an economic viewpoint. Just looking at the telco business, I heard for example a few months ago (was it here on slashdot?) that iraq is not going to use the GSM standard for cell phones.
Having then a systems which will be in
Re:Well... (Score:1)
"real insightful" ?
pray tell, in which dictionary did you find these gems ?
Re:Well... (Score:1)
Re:Well... (Score:2)
Re:Well... (Score:2)
Re:Well... (Score:2)
Darrell Issa is a congressman, not a senator. For the more part he does seem to have a much better clue with what's going on in the world than most congresscritters.
WAAS safety vs EGNOS safety (Score:3, Informative)
But when the FAA set the rules for determining how safe the error limit has to be, it pretty much guaranteed that the error limits broadcast by WAAS were going to be huge. (~30 meters) WAAS is way paranoid safe.
It will be interesting to see if EGNOS makes the same tradeoff between safety and usability that the WAAS system did. Maybe EGNOS will choose a less stringent safety requirement, and thus end up with smaller error limits.
Either way, both systems will probably have the same accuracy. (~1 meter)
Re:WAAS safety vs EGNOS safety (Score:2)
Mmm, no. There are thousands of GPS approaches in the U.S., all of them (naturally) flyable in instrument conditions. WAAS is not required--its (eventual) use will simply lower the minimums--a lot--by providing vertical as well as horizontal guidance.
[If you go to the WAAS websites (mostly put up by suppliers), you'll see references to "precision" approaches; a precision appro
More European space plans (Score:1, Informative)
http://europa.eu.int/comm/space/index_en.htm
A discussion all over Europa is just ongoing. Perhaps space exploration will be included in the constitution treaty of the EU which is just under negotiation.
no advantage (Score:2)
I love how (Score:1)
Re:Satellites (Score:3, Insightful)
But let's assume you're right (which you aren't). Then so what? If the current big players can't outcompete volunteers, they don't really deserve to live on. And if US software developers can't find a way to compete with cheaper labour (despite having the advantages of being in place, knowing the language and customs, and having a great infrastructure), then their demise is also