this episode is brought to you by the Air Force collaboratory GPS is important to everything in our lives that is why we are totally replacing it wait [Music] what in a couple days the Air Force is launching another new GPS satellite into space GPS tf5 is the fifth upgraded satellite and a long-term plan to make GPS faster more accurate and more efficient which is awesome not just because I can't find anything more than a mile from my home without it but also because it's used in everything from ATMs to dog collars to farming equipment the first generation of the global positioning system was created by the Air Force in 1973 for doing complex things like finding lost soldiers and instantly figuring out the math required to launch a missile from a mobile platform GPS as you and I know it started in 1989 with the launch of the first GPS 2 satellite the new network was open completely to the public in the year 20 2000 the GPS network is made up of 24 operational satellites and some extras for backup four satellites always have a line of visibility to your receiver at any time of day your receiver gets information on the location of at least three of the satellites around you and the distance between you and those satellites and using those measurements let your receiver pinpoint where you are it's called trilateration now to do this all the GPS satellites and receivers don't just have to know where they are they have to know exactly what time time it is when they're sending their positions say it's exactly noon and you check your GPS if one of those satellites think that it's 12:01 it's going to mess up your position it might think you're moving that's why every satellite's got an atomic clock in it that is accurate to a billionth of a second and every receiver uses a quartz clock that constantly resets itself to match its time to the last one it got from the satellites and that's also why GPS isn't just used in positioning anymore it's also used in timekeeping situations where everything needs to be synchronized perfectly stock market trades use the atomic clocks in the GPS Network because just a fraction of a second could change the ownership of billions of dollars it's also used in ATMs with more and more of Our Lives becoming dependent on GPS it's not surprising that a massive upgrade is underway type 2f satellites like the one being launched in a few days are considered interim upgrades that have a 12-year lifespan improved clocks and a new type of signal for everyday use and by 2020 we'll be using type 3 satellites they're going to have newer clocks that are accurate to a fraction of a billionth of a second super important for military and financial uses they will also have increased signal strength and accuracy while GPS is accurate to about 20 feet the new type 3 network will be accurate to an arms length I don't know if that's like a tall guy's arm or my arm or like a baby arm or what but I feel like my eyes might be able to take it from there regardless if you're interested in the GPS Network our sponsors over at the Air Force collaboratory want you to help them decide where to launch a type 2f satellite that is going live in Spring of next year so head over join the collaboratory and you can weigh in on where the members of the Air Force space command will position a $150 million satellite that will provide positioning and timekeeping for billions of people so go launch a satellite And subscribe here for more D news visit the Air Force collaboratory at airforce.com collaboratory work with real Airmen to solve some of the Air Force's toughest Science and Technology challenges your idea could change everything