Some of the most brilliant minds of that era conceptualized and theorized how all of these elements could be brought together to revolutionize positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), but the proofs had to be derived from masses of data-much of which did not exist yet-through much computing, testing, and refining. David Thompson, Air Force Space Command vice commander, presents West with the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers award. In turn, the speed and distance from the Earth (gravity) influence orbiting vehicles, dictating relativistic time effects that also have to be accounted for. From this modern geodesy also came a better understanding of how the irregular shape (and mass) of the Earth-and specifically the gravitational parameters-affect refined orbits. Geodesy, and the burgeoning science of satellite geodesy, played just as important a role as the other elements, yet we hear little about how those refinements came about. The foundational elements of GPS include precise time, refined orbits, and radio science, but people tend to forget that if you are using GPS to derive a position on the Earth, you must also know the true nature of the shape of the Earth. None of this would have been possible without an amazing confluence of multiple scientific breakthroughs, developed through a process of circular dependencies, that grew out of the mid-20th century. I often wonder how many people even briefly reflect on the very real magic behind the blue dot on the map on their phone that is guiding them to a destination, or the coordinates their surveying GPS instrument displays. West began an adventure she had not imagined would contribute to developments with such tremendous scientific and societal impacts. With the help of dedicated educators, West and her best friend did take top honors and headed off to Virginia State College (now Virginia State University, VSU). Traveling 17 miles each way, from the family farm and back by school bus, left no time for extracurricular school activities that were limited to school times, so she concentrated on her studies. West said that in high school she was not particularly interested in any one subject but focused on being proficient in all subjects. The hard-won diploma that launched West into higher ed and a career in math. Focus on STEM subjects (long before it was called STEM) boomed, as did the institutions-both civilian and defense related-engaged in these new fields of research and development. Events such as the launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, set the scientific and academic worlds on fire. The 1940s and 1950s were the beginnings of a complete paradigm shift in science, especially space exploration and computers. In our recent interview with xyHt magazine, West gave us a glimpse into her personal and scientific journey.īorn Gladys Mae Brown in Sutherland Virginia in 1930, this eager high-school student at the Dinwiddie Training School (as it was called at the time) viewed the opportunity for a scholarship as a way towards a better life, and a way to “get off the farm.” West said that employment opportunities in rural Dinwiddie County in the 1930s and 1940s were mostly limited to work in the fields of tobacco, corn, and cotton, or in tobacco processing factories, and she saw education as the key to other opportunities. Gladys West would see her rise to make key contributions to one of the most impactful scientific endeavors of our age. West and her sister in Sutherland, Virginia The quiet dedication of a hidden hero who made satellite geodesy and global positioning possible.Īs early as high school, the focused determination of Dr.
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