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Francis X. Kane
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<p>Colonel Francis "Duke" Xavier Kane, Ph.D., <a href="/facts/USAF/7MxWBYlc">USAF</a>, retired, (December 12, 1918 – July 18, 2013 ) was the space planner and engineer responsible for the design concept of the <a href="/facts/Global_Positioning_System/DKVLnzF3">Global Positioning System</a> (GPS). Colonel Kane was General <a href="/facts/Bernard_A._Schriever/fwfNUPg2">Bernard A. Schriever</a>'s Chief for Space and Ballistic Missile Planning at the U.S. Air Force Systems Command from 1961 to 1970. Colonel Kane was a participant in Project Forecast (1963–1964). Project Forecast was the longest-range technology forecast undertaken by the U.S. military prior to 1963. Project Forecast contemplated the strategic technological environment of 1975 and the requirements for U.S. advancements in air, space, missile, and computer technology. </p>