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Watch America 250: The Breakthroughs That Built American Science — Part 2
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The US Department of Defense developed and deployed the Global Positioning System between 1973 and 1995, a constellation of satellites providing precise time and location data. The government made the civilian signal, known as the Standard Positioning Service, free and unrestricted, which transformed global logistics and put GPS into everyday devices like phones. GPS is cited as an example of dual-use technology, serving both military and civilian purposes.

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51:402011 Nobel Prize in medicine. >> And if you're interested in that, our Nobel Prize episode on the uh regulatory tea cells covers many of these concepts y as well. 1973 through 1995 development and global deployment of GPS. Yes, this is the US Department of Defense. It spearheaded the development of global positioning systems which is an American constellation of satellites that provides precise time and location data. One of the best things that the US has done is provide the civilian signal which is the standard positioning service free of cost and restriction. fundamentally transformed global

52:22logistics. That's why you've got GPS on your phone. It's because the US government said, "Hey, >> why don't we give this out for free?" Probably because they have something better now. >> And another example of dualuse technology, both having a military and civilian application. 1973 invention of the Xerox Alto. >> Yeah, this was computer scientists and engineers Xerox at um Xerox Park in Palo Alto. They integrated a mouse, a graphical user interface, um, graphics,

From the episode
  1. EP 47

    America 250: The Breakthroughs That Built American Science — Part 2

    Part two of our America 250 special traces American science from Sputnik to the AI age, covering Apollo, ARPANET, CRISPR, LIGO, mRNA vaccines, JWST, transformers, and the future of science funding.

    America 250: The Breakthroughs That Built American Science — Part 2

History of ScienceAmerica 250