History Speaks: Navigating to the Moon and Back

The Apollo missions to the Moon were a landmark of human exploration. They were also an important turning point in the history of navigation. For the first time, people traveled beyond the vicinity of the Earth during the Apollo 8 mission. This required new methods of determining position. Apollo 8 also proved to be the only time space travelers experimented extensively with traditional navigation techniques using sextants. In this talk, learn how astronauts and space pioneers met the challenge of navigating to the Moon. See how space travelers found their way using techniques long used by mariners, connecting this amazing voyage to centuries of journeys of exploration across the oceans.