NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: Paul Dolkas
Date: 2015 Nov 16, 20:08 -0800
Huh… a few years ago, I was working on my master’s degree (never finished) in optics, and we had to do a student project. For want of any better idea, I decided to design an emergency navigation sextant, for use by an astronaut on the moon or Mars. Knowing absolutely nothing about celestial navigation in general, or sextants in particular, I eventually decided on a design that used a magnetically dampened pendulum as an internal artificial horizon. Mind you, I had no idea how a bubble sextant worked, or even that you could buy these things (albeit used) off the shelf.
Had an absolute blast designing the thing, and it’s left me with a fascination for the gizmos ever since.
Anyway, it’s nice to know that somebody else had the same idea, and even produced one. Mine looked a little different:
Might just put in a bid.
Paul Dolkas
From: NavList@fer3.com [mailto:NavList@fer3.com] On Behalf Of Noell Wilson
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2015 7:46 PM
To: paul@dolkas.net
Subject: [NavList] MA-1 on eBay
Perhaps everyone is waiting until the last minute but - there is an MA-1 pendulous sextant on eBay (US) now. Three days to go, starting at $185 + $16, and no bids so far. Described as in excellent working condition. Some on this site have described this as the ultimate aircraft sextant.
Regards, Noell
