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Electromagnetic shock can still knock out most electronic devices, as I
understand it.  Celestial is a good backup.

On Dec 24, 2003, at 6:16 PM, Frank Reed wrote:

> "Celnav is a manual on celestial navigation produced by the US Coast
> Guard. "
>
> Interesting.
>
> I don't think I mentioned this before. I did a series of hour-long
> planetarium lectures last fall for the navigation students in this
> year's class from the US Coast Guard Academy which is located in New
> London, CT. They were NOT enjoying themselves. In a round room, you
> can hear small talk and whispers very easily. These students were
> angry that they were being forced by the Academy to learn im-practical
> celestial navigation. And I sympathized with them. Unless someone (or
> something) zaps GPS and the other satellite navigation networks,
> celestial is nearly useless to them. They're still doing a full-blown
> tables method with HO229. I could understand teaching Noon Sun, and
> teaching it again and again and again. But these students studying
> tables-based celestial navigation in 2003 are in the same boat as
> students who were still being forced to learn how to reduce lunars
> back in 1903. It's pointless torture.
>
> But we still had fun, and I even told them about lunars.  :-)
>
> Frank E. Reed
> [X] Mystic, Connecticut
> [ ] Chicago, Illinois

   

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