Time and Navigation: The Untold Story of Getting from Here to There

This companion to an exhibit of the same name at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is a slim but impressive volume. Johnston, a geographer at the museum, and curators Roger D. Connor (instruments and avionics), Carlene E. Stephens (timekeeping), and Paul E. Ceruzzi (aerospace electronics and computing) explain that there is a definite but often overlooked link between time and place. Understanding how the two are related has been integral to the evolution of navigation. In material that is articulate and flawlessly logical, the authors show, step by step, how developments in marine navigation gave way to air and then space navigation. In turn, developments in space navigation took the practice from a highly specialized, erudite science to an everyday tool. Presented chronologically, the narrative unfolds as the authors explain how the political, economic, scientific, and military ambitions of a variety of countries and peoples built on one another—the 1848 California gold rush had an influence on shipbuilding and the implementation of new sea charts, for example. A feature called "Navigation Gone Wrong" appears occasionally and highlights failed expeditions throughout history, such as Amelia Earhart's final flight and the destruction of the spacecraft Mariner I. Another occasional feature called "Meet the…" introduces readers to influential figures such as the teacher Philip Van Horn Weems and the clockmaker William Cranch Bond. Discipline-specific terms such as chronometer and astrolabe are defined in-text. The 232 full-color and black-and-white illustrations consist of scores of photos, maps, and drawings.