Inside the Government's Backup Plan for GPS Failure  With the
threat of everything from antisatellite weapons to solar flares,
the Department of Homeland Security is upgrading an old
navigation system to eLORAN to track signals across the country,
Lost-style.  By Joe Pappalardo October 1, 2009 12:00 AM
Satellite-based navigation has become a ubiquitous tool for
business, military and personal use. The downside is that any
disruption in the Global Positioning System could wreak havoc
down on Earth.  This year, the Department of Homeland Security
decided that a 30-year-old navigation system used by mariners
will be upgraded to back up GPS. The decision preserves the
Long-Range Aids to Navigation (LORAN) network, which has been
teetering on the verge of forced retirement since the 1980s,
according to the Coast Guard's Navigation Center.  The backbone
of LORAN is a network of transmission stations, many located in
remote regions, staffed with Coast Guard personnel, and equipped
with antennas as tall as 900 ft.