Kostya Zvyagin (17) tells about common European
project: Space system "Galileo"
On summit, which was held in Barcelona, countries of EU have accepted the decision on the beginning of development of satellite navigating system "Galileo". It can make Europe by the leader in the field of space technologies.
It is supposed, that the system will be finished in 2008. Now in the world there are two systems of global positioning. It is the American system of global positioning for satellites " US Global Positioning Satellites " - US GPS and Russian "Glonass" (Global navigating satellite system). Both consist of the military satellites, which radiate signals. So any man, having the device for reception of these signals, can determine his own coordinates to within several tens centimeters.
However both systems have lacks. In particular, they do not guarantee by a covering of a signal of all surface of globe, do not incur the financial responsibility for failures. The European space agency plans to create system, which will work much approximately with the same accuracy - with an error up to one
meter.
| 30 satellites will be deduced into an orbit in 15 000 miles from the Earth. "Galileo will allow to operate planes in any place, and not just in the basic corridors, and is direct on landing strips",-the British space expert Pol Merdin speaks. "It will be possible to use it to watch movement of the employees in a building, though hardly it will be applied. It is possible to provide the additional help for blind people in streets ". The huge advantages will be received also by an industry. Manufacture of receivers GPS is now the monopoly of the American militaries-men. Then on this market there can be European manufacturers. The European space engineers are sure that " Galileo" will revolutionize motor transport, will reduce time of moving to 25 % and will lower a level of pollution of an environment. (Materials of the newspaper "Guardian" used). |
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At the meeting in Barcelona the leaders of EU have ratified this project of cost in two billion pounds, which will make Europe by the leader in the field of space technologies.
The link between existing systems Glonass and US GPS now is served by the geo-stationary satellites "Inmarsat-3". Both systems carry out, military tasks first of all. They are used and in the civil purposes, but provide thus much smaller accuracy. Let's tell, special signal adjusting an errors, caused by a solar wind, the militaries-men have only. Moreover, they intentionally deform a popular signal, so that the error at definition of coordinates by the civil users made not less than hundred meters.
On a question why Europeans want their own system, if they can use American, Hans Fromm, the chief of the project, answers directly: "We simply want to be independent." He adds: "It is not necessary to forget about leisure: the tourists traveling in the Alps, for certain with pleasure will take advantage of our system for definition of their place".
By the end of 2003 year we shall have already first group of the satellites. Then, two years is required on creating efficient system. Then two or three years will be necessary for it's development... More shortly, not later than 2008 year we shall finish the basic stage providing launching into orbit 24 satellites.
The standard accessory by yacht-men, climbers, teams of the savors by the ships both helicopters and many others is known, that now receivers for the American system of positioning GPS. Some bus companies, for example "Leisester", uses GSP to keep up the buses. The buses of this company are equipped with navigating systems, which supervise over actions of the drivers.
Simple for using system will allow the scientists to carry out from space incredibly exact researches of smallest tectonic shifts in zones of the increased seismic activity or to analyze increase of a level of water in the rivers and lakes during storm. And it is an invaluable gift for the ecologists.
Galileo
On the joint project with the European space agency (ESA) the European Union for the beginning allocates 450 millions euro, and ESA - 550 millions euro.
In whole cost of the project is estimated in 3,6 milliards euro.
The Austrian enterprises, including "Austrian Aerospace" and "ARC Seibersdorf research", expect that this project will bring the orders for the sum in 11 millions euro.
The commissioner of the European Union on transport Lojola de Palasio predicts, that "Galileo" will create of 150 000 workplaces for the highly skilled experts.
When the project "Galileo" was discussed some experts solved the problem: " whether Europe is sovereign, or we are the subordinated market ", - Spanish vice-premier Fransisco Alvares-Cascos emphasized, meaning the American global system of positioning GPS.
Besides "Galileo" will be much better to provide a covering of northern regions and cities - weak place of the American system GPS.
Additional plus of this system is that it produces signals of exact times, which are applied in management and at synchronization of the equipment.
Russia puts in the project "Galileo" the technical "know-how". The structure of the Russian signal has appeared more suitable for this system, than structure of the American signal.
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