Relativistic Effects in the Global Positioning System

Abstract

A group of scientists have for a number of years been claiming that relativistic corrections are not taken into account in GPS system design. Rather, they claim that there are fundamental errors in system design having to do with relativity theory, and that the system will consequently fail to meet its specifications. DARPA requested that JASON consider the issue during its 1984 Summer Study. Our major conclusion is that these claims about GPS are completely invalid; the fundamentals of relativistic time synchronization on which the system is based are valid. Originator-supplied keywords: GPS; General relativity; NAVSTAR.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1985
Accession Number
ADA158720

Entities

People

  • D. Eardley
  • F. Dyson
  • M. Ruderman
  • P. Horowitz
  • W. Press

Organizations

  • MITRE Corporation

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Atomic Clocks
  • Coordinate Systems
  • General Relativity
  • Geosynchronous Orbits
  • Global Positioning Systems
  • Language
  • Measurement
  • National Security
  • Physics
  • Relativity Theory
  • Security
  • Solar Radiation
  • Special Relativity
  • Specifications
  • Standards

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technology.
  • Software Engineering
  • Theoretical Analysis.

Technology Areas

  • Space