But how many times have you seen a completly avoidable tragedy being the impetus for the implementation of an existing technology, that could've avoided the tragedy in the first place, to prevent it from recurring?
This article alludes to the introduction of the GPS system into the field of civil usage. The Global Positioning System, GPS for short, is a system comprising of satellites that can precisely locate a given 'receiver' on the surface of the earth (or airborne). Before the incident of the Korean Airlines Flight 007 incident, the GPS had been an exclusive property of the US Department of Defence, not intended to be used by the public in general.
The KA flight 007 from New York, after a stopover at Anchorage, was headed to Seoul, South Korea. The prepared flight plan took the aircraft over international waters. But, due to the aircraft losing its heading and the pilots not recognising the deviation from the flight plan, the plane ventured quite some way into Russian airspace without the necessary clearance. The ill-fated flight was, not long after, shot down by Russian fighter jets.
So, the next time you use GPS to navigate your car, you know to whom you owe the availibility of the technology - the 269 lives that were on board.
The silver lining? The world can now use GPS, and is a safer place from that standpoint.
Posts
