NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Fix by Lunar Distances... for missiles in 1950
From: Robert Eno
Date: 2006 Nov 28, 01:17 -0500
From: Robert Eno
Date: 2006 Nov 28, 01:17 -0500
Frank, I would be very surprised if you could not locate a PDF version from ION. Surely they must have digitized their journal by now? or try http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?author=&title=Journal+of+the+Institute+of+Navigation&lang=en&submit=Begin+search&new_used=*&destination=ca¤cy=CAD&mode=basic&st=sr&ac=qr www.bookfinder.com As for riding the nose cone of an ICBM, would that be suicide by sextant? Robert ----- Original Message ----- From: "Frank Reed"To: "NavList" Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 1:01 AM Subject: [NavList 1769] Fix by Lunar Distances... for missiles in 1950 > > Here's an article from 1950 that sounds like it probably describes, in > principle, the same method of "fix by lunar distances" that I've been > talking about but for an entirely different "practical" application: > LUNAR PARALLAX METHOD OF ASTRO NAVIGATION, > written by J.S. Thompson, Rand Corporation > "Abstract : In considering the problem of the automatic navigation of > long-range surface-to-surface missiles it soon becomes evident that the > system must be 'unjammable' by the enemy. That is to say, the missile > cannot be required to depend on information received on radio channels > (of any frequency) to keep on course. Such methods can be easily > confused by the enemy's broadcasting spurious signals. A system not > subject to such maltreatment that would measure the change in the > position of the moon relative to the stars due to the motion of the > observer (the missile, in this instance) over the surface of the earth > is proposed. The elements which such a system could have are > described." > > What I can't figure out is how do you get volunteers with sextants to > ride along in the nosecones of the guided missiles? Also, considering > it would take 45 minutes to work up such a position using the > technology available in 1950, wouldn't it be just a bit too late for a > guided missile? Ah well, maybe the "elements which such a system could > have" included digital cameras and microcomputers. > > And fans of semi-academic journals will be happy to know that > Thompson's article was apparently published in the Sep/Dec 1951 issue > of "Navigation", the journal of the Institute of Navigation. I haven't > been able to find a library that has old issues. Anyone? > > -FER > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ To post to this group, send email to NavList@fer3.com To , send email to NavList-@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---