Near Great Falls in Fairfax County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
U.S. Army Map Service
Photographed By J. J. Prats, June 24, 2017
1. U.S. Army Map Service Marker
Here, at a former Nike missile site, the U.S. Army
Map Service established a research station to
support geo-location and navigation in 1961. Two
years later, the Map Service Initiated a significant
satellite tracking program that became part of
the Defense Mapping Agency in 1972. This tracking
system contributed fundamentally to the Global
Positioning System (GPS). The data gathered here
enabled geospatial scientists to establish precise
geographical reference points on the Earth’s surface
and to refine their estimates of the Earth’s true
shape and variations in its gravity field. This
facility closed In 1993.Erected 2017 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number E-143.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Communications • Military • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1961.
Location. 38° 59.866′ N, 77° 18.866′ W. Marker is near
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Great Falls Nike Missile Site (a few steps from this marker); Forestville Volunteer Fire Department, est. May 5, 1942 (approx. 1.2 miles away); Battle of Dranesville (approx. 1˝ miles away); Sharpsburg / Antietam Campaign (approx. 1˝ miles away); Forestville School (approx. 1.6 miles away); Action At Dranesville (approx. 1.6 miles away); Fields of Fire (approx. 1.6 miles away); Gettysburg Campaign (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Great Falls.
Also see . . .
1. Wikipedia entry for Global Positioning System. “During Labor Day weekend in 1973, a meeting of about twelve military officers at the Pentagon discussed the creation of a Defense Navigation Satellite System (DNSS). It was at this meeting that the real synthesis that became GPS was created. Later that year, the DNSS program was named Navstar, or Navigation System Using Timing and Ranging. With the individual satellites being associated with the name Navstar (as with the predecessors Transit and Timation), a more fully encompassing name was used to identify the constellation
Photographed By J. J. Prats, June 24, 2017
2. U.S. Army Map Service and Great Falls Nike Missile Site Markers
2. A brief history of GPS (video from CNN).
Credits. This page was last revised on July 7, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 26, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 877 times since then and 150 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 26, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
