From Sails to Satellites: Origin and Development of Navigational Science

London & Boston: Oxford University Press. Very Good. 1994. First Paperback Edition. Illustrated Card Covers. 4to 019856399X Illustrated Card Cover. 310 PAGES CLEAN & TIGHT. For many centuries men navigated on long voyages without knowing or caring where they were for much of the time. The ancient Greeks made crude calculations of latitude from solar observations. Today's satellite systems are within the means of amateur sailors and give position, accurate to perhaps thirty metres, virtually instantly. The history of navigational science offers vivid insights into the areas of human endeavour which have driven it. Discoverers such as Columbus needed to locate and claim distant lands for their sovereigns and paymasters. Merchants in a world of expanding horizons and trade needed accurate navigation for efficient and reliable shipping. Rapidly developing air travel demanded accurate and quick navigation in very difficult conditions. The deadly objects of the military in targetting missiles and sailing submarines in radio silence offer very particular challenges to navigation systems today. In servicing these needs, navigational science has made use of very diverse scientific discoveries starting with simple geometry and calculations in dead?reckoning and the use of magnetic compasses. More complicated mathematics and more accurate mechanisms are required for astronomical navigation. The properties of radio waves are used in homing and position-fixing systems. The curious properties of gyroscopes are exploited in the self-contained world of inertial guidance systems. Most recently computing power, micro-electronics, and satellites have been combined to give the startling accuracy and speed of current systems. This is a fascinating tale which skilfully interweaves the threads of science, trade, exploration, and warfare. It is written with care and insight by an author who had more than 50 years' experience of and curiosity about the human need to know position and course, the need to navigate. From reviews of the hardback ... well-written and exhaustive history of navigation from the Phoenicians onwards. Unlike most popular histories, which conclude with the solution of the problem of finding latitude at sea by celestial observations, Williams takes us forward to his own speciality, air navigation. New Scientist For anyone with an interest in navigation this book is in the un-put-downable bracket. Lloyds List ... the book is easy to read, the style being personal, lively, and decidedly opinionated. Mr Williams has dipped into the great hotch-potch of navigational history and pulled out the plums.. .the book offers much of interest. The Times Higher .