ASTR 1700: History of Exploration: Land, Sea, and Space

From ancient Mediterranean seafarers to the Mars rovers, from
Christopher Columbus to the Apollo astronauts, humans have for centuries
explored the far reaches of our planet. Now we are venturing into the
solar system and beyond. This course will examine the history of such
human activity. Among the topics covered are: motives for exploration,
technological advances that assist exploration, obstacles that must be
overcome, and positive and negative consequences of exploration. It is
led by Steven Squyres of Astronomy and Mary Beth Norton of History;
lecturers include a number of historians and a former director of the
Shoals Marine Laboratory.