NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: Jackson McDonald
Date: 2018 Feb 10, 12:39 -0800
The March/April issue of Ocean Navigator magazine includes a short article by Tim Queeney about the development of a new celestial navigation system for use on voyages deep into our solar system and beyond. Under development by NASA, the system is called Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology (SEXTANT).
Queeney writes, "Instead of using visible light from stars, the SEXTANT idea makes use of x-rays coming from a special type of star called a pulsar that can be used like a set of radio beacons to get a fix position."
Ballistic missile guidance systems have used light from stars for decades, but the novelty of SEXTANT is that it uses x-rays from pulsars, specifically from pulsars with highly stable x-ray emissions.
Interesting concept. I refer you to the article for more details.
JMcD
28° 21.11’ N
80° 43.45’ W
