GPS Series: Satellite - SPUTNIK Traditional Cache

This Geocache can be found on its own, or as part of the series that is placed within this section of land. You do not need to find any others in order to find this one, and all of them utilize the same parking location.

You can park your vehicle at N 43d 03.178’ x W 79d 16.229’

There are numerous ATV Trails throughout this area, however there is no signage to indicated that ATV’s are permitted.

The text after this is for those wishing to complete the entire series.

For most people, GPS Units and Satellites are basically some strange black box that we have a minor understanding of how it works, but most of the technical details are not really important. As long as we can find our way, that’s good enough. The short version is that GPS units determine our location based upon a calculation of the distance we are away from Satellites that are in orbit above the Earth. This is called Triangulation. Normally only three Satellites are needed to determine a location, but the more that are available the more accurate the GPS Unit becomes. However, even with multiple Satellites, accuracy can vary around 5-10 meters.

This Geocache is one of four Satellite Geocaches. On the outside of the container is the distance in meters that this location is away from the GPS Unit. By using the distances found on some or all of the Satellite Geocaches you will be able to find the GPS Unit.

The remainder of this Geocache Description is purely for historical or educational purposes. As such the rest of the provided text will not assist you with finding any of the Geocaches in the area.

As copied from: NASA’s Sputnik and The Dawn of the Space Age

History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. The world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a basketball, weighed only 183 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path. That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. While the Sputnik launch was a single event, it marked the start of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race.

The story begins in 1952, when the International Council of Scientific Unions decided to establish July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958, as the International Geophysical Year (IGY) because the scientists knew that the cycles of solar activity would be at a high point then. In October 1954, the council adopted a resolution calling for artificial satellites to be launched during the IGY to map the Earth's surface.

In July 1955, the White House announced plans to launch an Earth-orbiting satellite for the IGY and solicited proposals from various Government research agencies to undertake development. In September 1955, the Naval Research Laboratory's Vanguard proposal was chosen to represent the U.S. during the IGY.

The Sputnik launch changed everything. As a technical achievement, Sputnik caught the world's attention and the American public off-guard. Its size was more impressive than Vanguard's intended 3.5-pound payload. In addition, the public feared that the Soviets' ability to launch satellites also translated into the capability to launch ballistic missiles that could carry nuclear weapons from Europe to the U.S. Then the Soviets struck again; on November 3, Sputnik II was launched, carrying a much heavier payload, including a dog named Laika.

Immediately after the Sputnik I launch in October, the U.S. Defense Department responded to the political furor by approving funding for another U.S. satellite project. As a simultaneous alternative to Vanguard, Wernher von Braun and his Army Redstone Arsenal team began work on the Explorer project.

On January 31, 1958, the tide changed, when the United States successfully launched Explorer I. This satellite carried a small scientific payload that eventually discovered the magnetic radiation belts around the Earth, named after principal investigator James Van Allen. The Explorer program continued as a successful ongoing series of lightweight, scientifically useful spacecraft.

The Sputnik launch also led directly to the creation of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In July 1958, Congress passed the National Aeronautics and Space Act (commonly called the "Space Act"), which created NASA as of October 1, 1958 from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and other government agencies.

For more information regarding the History of Satellites, check out National Geographic: Eye in the Sky

Hope you enjoy the cache - Please ensure that the geocache is well hidden in the same location that it was found.

The Blue Quasar

Cache Maintenance Performed On: 31 JUL 08
Details: Archived - Cache Container Removed

Thanks to all those that visited.

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