Imagine you are an astronaut stuck on Mars. You have no maps, no compass, no GPS, and no internet to google directions. Your only chance of survival is to drive across the planet to be rescued. Would you survive? In Andy Weir’s book, The Martian, Astronaut Mark Watney does just this using a form of celestial navigation adapted to the red planet. Does the science behind his navigation technique hold up? Could real NASA astronauts actually survive using these methods if they were in a similarly dire situation? In this talk we will discuss navigating in space and on other planets, and what astronauts could learn from ancient navigational techniques.

Nick Dragone is a second year PhD student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Before coming to the University of Colorado to study soil microorganisms living in Antarctica and other challenging environments, Nick spent four years working and living on a sailboat teaching undergraduate students marine science and navigation. When he is not working on his research, Nick spends his time in Boulder outside, biking, hiking, and skiing.