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Have you ever wanted to explore the dark black void of space? Well guess what, some people think we shouldnt! They think valuable resources should be spent on other things here on earth, even though we can always explore whats here but in space you cant.

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Why We Should Be Spending More on Space Travel

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I think we should spend valuable resources on space exploration because our curious minds want to know whats out there in the unknown void of space and be a influence to other generations if we do find something like aliens which would be really cool! Also we depend on space travel because we need stuff like satellite connection for our phones or tv. We also need it for accurate maps to travel places and know where we are if we get lost.

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I think that accurate satellite GPS  maps are especially essential to geographers, our everyday lives ,and even our survival.

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GPS simply means Global Positioning System which is a network of orbiting satellites in the space that sends precise and accurate position.

GPS has the ability to pinpoint locations up to three dimensions like the latitude, longitude, and altitude. The signals from a GPS can give accurate and concise information that is used to estimate speed, time, and exact location of objects or humans.

The navigational information from the GPS satellite is available to anyone anywhere in the world at no cost. The only cost required to pay is the purchase of a GPS receiver, the device that decodes the information from the orbiting satellites. The usefulness of information and data that can be obtained from a small GPS receiver is big compared to the price labeled on it.

Modern technology advancement has made the use of GPS very easy unlike in the past. Smart phones and cars can now receive and decode GPS in split seconds with great ease.

The interesting part is that you do not pay extra for easy data and information like exact location. Additional data charges may apply when accessing satellite images and data from a GPS enabled smart phone.

History of GPS

As early as the 1980s, GPS data has been freely available to any with a GPS receiver. The very first GPS was developed by the U.S to aid its global intelligence efforts during the cold war.

The data obtained aided warships in the US Navy to navigate the sea and oceans more accurately. The initial system had five robust satellites which allowed the ships to clock their exact location accurately at an hourly time interval.

TRANSIT was the first GPS satellite successfully launched and tested by the US Navy in 1960, it had a constellation of five satellites that lead the way to series of the recent GPS satellites today.

Timation satellite followed in 1967 and provided more accurate and precise location data than its predecessor. Three years later the ground-based OMEGA navigation system was launched which became the first to provide worldwide radio navigation system.

Decades later, technology advancements brought the likes of SECOR which is a very robust GPS Satellite system orbiting the earth and produces an accurate date.

GPS is a propriety technology of the US Government made freely available to everyone in the world by President Ronald Reagan. Now both military and civilians have unrestricted access to GPS data from anywhere in the world.

Importance of GPS

Since the 1980s to today, GPS has been freely available to companies, countries, organizations and to anyone with a GPS receiver.

Airlines, trucking companies, shipping companies, and car owners all use GPS system to monitor and track the location of flights, trucks, vessels, and cars. The navigation route can be monitored in the shortest time possible and as accurately as possible.

Cellular telephone

Clock synchronization, mobile emergency calls, and other applications use GPS for synchronizing data with other base stations.

Cellular phones are built with GPS enabled features and also at the transceiver towers for easy triangulation during an emergency. This is how a cellular phone location can easily be obtained during an emergency call. Latest software developers have gained access to the GPS APIs for better services.

Agriculture

Modern agriculture uses GPS based technology called Site Specific Management (SSM) for mechanized farming. GPS is used in the determination and estimation of variable data such as working area, field time, fuel consumption, yield information, machine travel time and speed.

Geofencing

GPS is used to locate, identify and maintain accurate contact reports with one or more fleets of cars, ships, and flight. Personal tracking and pet tracking equally use GPS too for positional location within a given time.

With the attachment of a small GPS receiver, the system can send notification if the target leaves the designated zones and also provides continuous tracking.

Airline companies, shipping companies, trucking companies and fleet owners apply GPS to keep track of the movements and position of each tagged item. Airplane and ships use this to avoid collision and accidents especially during the night, and also when there are poor weather conditions and less visibility.

Directions

Ever had difficulty locating in a new city or country? GPS makes this very easy. GPS helps to give precise direction and information about places and points of interest. Travelers use GPS to generate coordinates for direction.

GPS enabled cars use real-time GPS data to provide directions to unfamiliar territories. Navigators appreciate digitally precise orientation and velocity measurements for proper guidance.

Surveying

Surveyors use absolute locations from GPS data like latitude, longitude, elevation and time to make maps and determine property boundaries. They rely heavily on GPS data for proper boundary delineation and demarcation. Portable GPS devices are always a prerequisite and handy tool for both surveying students and professionals.

Tectonics

Did you know that slight fault movements of the earth's tectonics plates result in disastrous earthquakes? GPS is used to measure even minute movements of the plates, crustal motion, and deformation of the plates in other to monitor and predict earthquakes. GPS data is used in collaboration with seismic data to create seismic hazard maps available to the geographic authorities.

Robotics and automated vehicles

Autonomous and self-navigating robots use GPS sensors to calculate longitude, latitude, speed, time and heading. The robots get these data from the GPS and then decode and analyze them to output easy movements.

The latest technology has cars driving themselves on the same road with humans. The cars are equipped with GPS enabled features that apply routes and locations data obtained from GPS to function.

Geotagging

Modern cameras have the ability to tag a location, and time automatically to digital images such as photographs. A camera such as Nikon GP-1 uses GPS data to create map overlays by adding location coordinates to documents and digital images.

Exploration

GPS is the eye and guide of the explorations team as it leads them to the exact point which may be the middle of a desert, a center of an ocean or deep inside the jungle. They trust and rely solely on the accuracy of the GPS data about the point of interest.

Recent Posts in GPS Advice

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GPS simply means Global Positioning System which is a network of orbiting satellites in the space that sends precise and accurate position. GPS has the ability to pinpoint locations up to three dimensions like the latitude, longitude, and altitude.

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Why exploring space is important to us. We need to explore space because we can find new things and conquer new things.

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The Planetary Society * Aug 30, 2021

Your guide to advocating for space in a complicated world

Most people who love space and believe in exploration have probably heard this once or twice: "We shouldn't waste money on space exploration when there are problems to deal with here on Earth."

While public health concerns, social injustices, climate change, and other urgent issues are important to address, solving these problems doesn't depend on defunding space programs.

This can be a difficult conversation to navigate, so we've outlined a few ideas here that you can share when advocating for space.

Space spending pays off

If someone is arguing that public funds should be spent on solving the world's problems, they should know that money spent on NASA positively impacts the U.S. economy. We get the same kind of payoff for space spending in other countries. Spending on space supports highly skilled jobs, fuels technology advancements with practical applications, and creates business opportunities that feed back into the economy. This in turn grows the pool of public money that can be spent on solving the world's most pressing problems.

Space research directly impacts Earthly problems

When people apply themselves to the challenges of exploring space, they make discoveries that can help the world in other ways too. Studying how we might grow food in orbit or on Mars yields insights into growing food in extreme conditions on Earth, generating knowledge that can help mitigate the impacts of climate change. Medical research conducted on the International Space Station helps us understand the human body in new ways, helping save lives and improve quality of life.

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Studying space helps us understand our own world

Studying the cosmos gives us an important perspective shift. When we learn about what lies beyond Earth, it gives us context for understanding our own planet. Studying the other worlds of our solar system and beyond makes it clear that Earth is a precious oasis for life. When we sent spacecraft to Venus we saw how a runaway greenhouse effect turned the world from a habitable planet to an absolute hellscape. When astronauts travel into space they see just how thin and tenuous Earth's atmosphere is, appreciating the fragile balance in which we live. A cosmic perspective underscores the importance of protecting our planet's habitability and encourages investment in that effort.

Studying space may one day save us all

All the social and environmental progress in the world won't help us if an asteroid impacts the Earth. We have to explore space to find and study the asteroids and comets in our cosmic neighborhood if we want to make sure we can defend our planet if an object ever heads our way.

NEO Surveyor Artist's Concept The NEO Surveyor mission will look for asteroids and comets with orbits that come close to EarthImage: NASA/JPL-Caltech/The Planetary Society

Space is inspiring

Not every child who dreams of becoming an astronaut will get that opportunity. This is a sad truth that many of us know from experience. But to be inspired to aim for something so grand gives kids the motivation to study hard and gain skills in science, engineering, medicine, or other fields that benefit humanity and directly help overcome problems that we face as a species.

And inspiration isn't just for kids. When we marvel at the beauty of Jupiter's clouds or the mystery of Enceladus' oceans, we get an opportunity to appreciate the wonder and majesty of this cosmos that we inhabit. The idea that life might exist elsewhere in the universe reminds us that we might not be the only planet struggling to achieve balance, justice, and sustainability. And even in the bleakest of times, there's something beautiful about still striving to achieve something great and discover something that could change how we see ourselves and our cosmos forever.

The plumes of Enceladus The mysteries of the cosmos are waiting to be solved. What new insights will the future of exploration uncover?Image: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SSI / Gordan Ugarkovic

There's plenty of room at the table

There's no denying that there are many important issues facing humanity that need fixing. But to deal with those problems doesn't mean we have to stop looking up, stop exploring, and stop making discoveries.

Human civilization has astonishing capacity, and we can do more than one important thing at a time. If someone thinks that a particular issue should get more attention and investment, they can and should advocate for that. The problems we face don't persist because we're spending money on space science and exploration. And there's no reason to pit our aspirations against one another.

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Why space exploration is always worthwhile

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A toolkit to help you advocate for the value of exploring space even when there are important problems to be solved here on Earth.

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I would want to explore space to maybe find extraterrestrial life or new materials to help here on earth.

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Search for Alien Life Should Be a Fundamental Part of NASA, New Report Urges

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A blue-ribbon committee finds the science of astrobiology is worthy of deep integration into the space agency’s exploration efforts

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In conclusion, without spending valuable resources on space exploration our curious minds would never be able to be fulfilled by the unknown black void of space, and we would never know whats out there like aliens or even foreign materials that can help us here on earth.  We would never be able to be a major influence to future generations to also explore space!

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Some people think that we should stop spending money on  space exploration because we have enough problems here on earth, which is understandable but if we explore space and find something that can help on earth it would be a whole lot better here on earth.

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Why do we spend money on space exploration when we have environmental problems here?