Station coordinates can be determined at present by Doppler satellite tracking to an accuracy of about 1 m in the Navy Navigational Satellite System (N.N.S.S.). The internal precision of measurement is at the decimetre level and the main theme of the meeting is to explore means of increasing coordinate accuracy to a level approaching that of the measuring precision available. This introduction briefly reviews the impact of the space age on geodesy, outlines the history of the N.N.S.S., discusses the datum on which station coordinates are determined and looks to the future.
A brief history of magnetospheric physics during the space age