Curiosity Weekly Your Life Runs on GPS. And GPS Runs on Duct Tape
Oct 15, 2025
Logan Scott, a GPS and timing expert with over 40 years in navigation systems, discusses the surprising vulnerabilities of GPS technology. He explains how spoofing and jamming can disrupt critical services, and why nanosecond precision in timing is essential. The conversation also covers the innovative eLoran system as a potential backup for GPS, and the future of private low-Earth orbit navigation satellites. Scott emphasizes the need for a resilient, layered navigation strategy to safeguard against potential failures.
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How GPS Works With Tiny Signals
- GPS satellites transmit a 25-watt signal from ~12,500 miles away that is about 100 times weaker than galactic noise.
- Receivers match known signal patterns and compute precise ranges from send/receive time differences.
GPS Is Really About Time
- GPS provides latitude, longitude, altitude, and extremely accurate time as its core outputs.
- That precise time is critical because navigation accuracy depends directly on nanosecond-level timing.
Real Spoofing Caused Pilot Confusion
- Logan Scott described spoofing incidents that made aircraft systems report wrong locations or trigger warnings.
- He gave examples like false airport positions and disrupted cockpit alerts causing confusing behavior.