We know that the telephone was not actually invented by Bell, but it was only confirmed in court 113 years after the death of its inventor Antonio Meucci. The same goes for light bulbs. Whenever we talk about electric lights, the first thing we think of is Thomas Edison, but it was actually HumphryDavy who was the first to show us the light emitted by the current flowing through the platinum strip. The history of science is filled with various controversies about the ownership of inventions, and GPS is one of them. Who invented GPS? At least four scientists are believed to be involved in this revolutionary technology invention that originated from the US Department of Defense for military use.

　　Roger L. Easton

　　Roger L. Easton, as a former director of the Space Applications Department at the US Navy Research Laboratory, is the brain behind the engineering and technological applications that led to the development of GPS. As one of the Cold War scientists, Easton engaged in technological research on tracking satellite orbits and was primarily committed to establishing a time based navigation concept similar to the Soviet Sputnik satellite - time navigation, which was applied to passive ranging, circular orbits, and high-precision satellite clocks synchronized with the main clock. To this day, these technologies are crucial in any GPS satellite.

　　In 2004, Easton received the National Medal for Technological Innovation from the President of the United States for "extensive pioneering achievements in spacecraft tracking, navigation, and timing technology and significant contributions to the development of NAVSTAR-GPS". However, it was not until 2010 that the Hall of Fame for American Inventors recognized Easton's contribution to the invention of GPS.

　　In fact, as early as 2004, two other scientists, Ivan Getting and Brad Parkinson, entered the Hall of Fame for American Inventors due to the invention of GPS technology.

　　Ivan Getting

　　The Hall of Fame for American Inventors has invited Dr. Getting to promote the use of advanced satellite systems to accurately calculate position data for rapidly moving objects, from cars to missiles. The founding president of the American aerospace company was also awarded the Charles Stark Draper Engineering Award by the National Academy of Engineering in 2003 for his significant contribution to the concept and development of GPS. More specifically, the National Academy of Engineering in the United States believes that Dr. Getting has made great contributions to the implementation of GPS, including its operational value, planning, negotiation, and reaching consensus agreements with all system stakeholders

　　Dr. Getting proposed a three-dimensional, time difference positioning and navigation system. According to his own statement, "These proposals were proposed by the American Aerospace Company and are very important for GPS." After confirming that the Navy has developed a good space navigation system, Dr. Getting said, "The conclusion of the Director of Defense Research and Engineering is that there can only be one system, and this system should be based on the concepts of the Air Force and aerospace, known as GPS, developed jointly by the Air Force and three cooperating departments

　　However, Easton's son Richard believes that Getting's contribution to the GPS project is limited and should not be considered as the inventor of GPS. However, Richard is more willing to share the honor with another Hall of Fame nominee, Brad Parkinson, who shared the Charles Stark Draper Engineering Award with Dr. Getting.

　　Brad Parkinson

　　Brad Parkinson held important positions in the NAVSTAR GPS Joint Project Office from 1972 to 1978. The Inventors Hall of Fame clearly stated that as the first person in charge of the project, he had always been the chief architect of GPS system concepts, engineering development, and implementation, earning Parkinson the reputation of "the father of GPS". Prior to participating, Parkinson was already an Air Force colonel assigned to restart a space and missile system organization program, codenamed 621B, aimed at providing altitude, longitude, and latitude data for navigation. When the US Department of Defense decided to establish this joint project developed in collaboration with all military departments, Parkinson was appointed as the leader.

　　Dr. GladysWest

　　Among the four pioneers, the road to recognition as a GPS inventor was the most challenging for Dr. Wet. As early as 1956, Dr. West had already worked at the US Navy Weapons Laboratory. This was once the forefront of the post Cold War space race and the location of the Navy's Space Surveillance Center, until the US Air Force took control of it in 2004. Dr. West is a mathematician skilled in processing satellite data to determine the exact location of satellites.

　　In December 2018, Dr. West was finally invited to join the Air Force, Space, and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame, which is the highest honor of space command for the United States Air Force. In the introduction, the US Air Force recognized Dr. West's contribution to programming the IBM 7030 "Stretch" computer, which led to "increasingly refined calculations of the geoid and ultimately optimized for GPS orbit.

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