From 1959 to 1961, AFOSR sponsored Dr. Rudolph Kalman's linear filtering program. This initiative resulted in the elimination of unwanted noise out of data communication streams and revolutionized the field of estimation, significantly enhancing the design and development of precise navigation systems. NASA used the Kalman Filter to solve the problems associated with determining satellite orbits. The Kalman Filter became a basic building block of the U.S. space program and was first used in the Ranger, Mariner, and Apollo missions of the 1960s. The Kalman Filter quickly found its way into other operational systems such as phased-array radars to track missiles, sonar ranging, inertial guidance systems in aircraft (from the C-5 to the F-22 to the Boeing 777), submarines, and the Global Positioning System. The Kalman Filter has made possible the auto-pilot of both commercial and military aircraft, and employment in Precision Guided Munitions has had a profoundimpact on the war-fighting capabilities of the U.S. military.
