Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a United States government organization that works to develop new technology. DARPA was established in 1958, shortly after the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite into space. Leaders in the United States felt that the country had fallen behind the Soviet Union in advanced technology. DARPA was created to help the United States catch up. Since 1958, the agency has developed a number of innovative and wide-reaching technologies. Its most famous creation was the ARPANET, the forerunner of the Internet.
DARPA played a key role in the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS). GPS is a satellite-based navigation system. The agency helped develop warfare technologies such as the M16 rifle, drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), and stealth aircraft.
DARPA sometimes addresses technological challenges through the use of contests or prizes. In 2009, for example, DARPA challenged teams of contestants to find 10 red weather balloons moored in different locations throughout the United States. The teams had to use social networking technology to quickly locate the balloons. DARPA used the contest to assess the usefulness of social networking in situations such as combat and disaster response.
