Perspectives on Marine Satellite Navigation

Thomas Stansell

Abstract:	I was delighted with the opportunity to present an invited paper at this 50th anniversary celebration of the Institute of Navigation. It was a great chance to talk about my favorite subject, without the constraint of having to report on a research project. On the other hand, such freedom comes with an obligation to say something useful, or interesting, or both. After much thought I decided to follow several different paths in telling the fascinating story of how satellite navigation began and its continuing impact on marine navigation. The first section recounts personal experiences as a young engineer on the Transit program. The next section examines satellite navigation from an historical perspective. The third section evaluates the impact of satellite navigation on a range of marine applications. Finally, just for the fun of it, the fourth section explores why Selective Availability came into being, what difference it makes anyway, and how its future may be determined. Dick Greenspan and I agreed on the title of this paper weeks ago, and I’ve tried to use the idea of several different perspectives to guide its development. After writing the first section, which is my personal perspective, I was tempted to prune it way back. In the end, however, I realized that it’s only possible to tell about what one has personally experienced over the years. Because I’m deeply grateful for my experiences, this paper is intended to honor the employers, the fellow workers, the customers, and all the others who have given me the opportunity to learn, to grow, and to explore these frontiers with you.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 51st Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1995) June 5 - 7, 1995 Antlers Doubletree Hotel Colorado Springs, CO
Pages:	569 - 577
Cite this article:	Stansell, Thomas, "Perspectives on Marine Satellite Navigation," Proceedings of the 51st Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1995), Colorado Springs, CO, June 1995, pp. 569-577.
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