Multimedia Gallery
Intense solar activity causes material to erupt from the Sun.
Solar activity can interfere with satellite signals.
Soviet cosmonauts used this device on their Soyuz spacecraft to supplement the ground-based navigation system.
Space Shuttles used onboard star trackers to locate their position in space with high accuracy.
Marine Chronometer, signed William Bond & Son, about 1867.
Weems star altitude curves helped simplify celestial navigation.
This Star Chart was used to train Apollo astronauts.
Staff Sgt. Derek Howard, 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, watches cargo bundles delivered by the Joint Precision Air Drop System (JPADS) to a drop zone in Afghanistan.
This sword made from shark teeth was collected by the U.S. Exploring Expedition in the Gilbert Islands.
The successful operation of a satellite navigation system requires around-the-clock monitoring of the satellites’ health and the periodic replacement of older satellites.
