The father of GPS

Air Force Colonel Bradford Parkinson was lead architect for the Global Positioning System (GPS) program. In 1973 he convinced the US Air Force of the value of a new satellite-based navigation system. By building satellites and experimenting to improve them, Parkinson and his team provided the world with accurate positioning, navigation and timing services. The first GPS satellite was launched into space just 44 months after the team’s program was approved. Parkinson went on to become a professor at Stanford University in 1984, the same university that he graduated from with a PhD in guidance control navigation. There he continued to explore the multitude of applications his team’s satellite service could achieve, including robotic tractors. From the maps on our phones to real-time aircraft positioning for pilots, Parkinson’s lead role in this groundbreaking technology has resulted in some declaring him the