Exploring Gallery

Antarctic exploration, route maps

Antarctic exploration. Map of Antarctica showing the routes taken by Ernest Shackleton (1914 to 1916, red), Roald Amundsen (1911 to 1912, brown), Robert Scott (1911 to 1912, blue) and Richard Byrd (1929, green). Shackleton's route, on the ship Endurance, was part of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. The ship was trapped in pack ice and sank. The dotted line shows the return journey. Amundsen and Scott both attempted to reach the South Pole, Amundsen succeeding, the first to do so. Scott also reached the Pole, but perished on the return journey. Byrd's journey was by aircraft, the first flight over the South Pole

© MIKKEL JUUL JENSEN / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Atlas compass, 16th century

Atlas compass in a 1544 copy of the Agnese Atlas. Several copies of this atlas were produced between 1536 and 1564, in Venice, by the Italian mapmaker Battista Agnese. This compass rose is found on the inside back cover, and is labelled with 32 compass directions. Although it was a nautical atlas, it is unlikely to have been more than an ornamental atlas for reference. The compass at centre was added some time later. This edition of the atlas was dedicated to Hieronymus Ruffault, Abbot of St Vaast, Arras, France. The atlas is known to have been in Germany, Italy, and New York, USA, during its 400-year-plus history, eventually reaching the US Library of Congress in 1943

© LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, GEOGRAPHY AND MAP DIVISION/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

US exploration of Mars, artwork

US exploration of Mars, artwork. Astronaut preparing to plant the flag of the United States of America (USA) on the Martian surface. Mars is a rocky desert world with no surface water and a gravity about one third of that on Earth. The atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide and surface temperatures are well below freezing. The thin atmosphere means that flags need to be rigid rather than made of cloth. Human missions to explore Mars have been planned since the 1950s, usually involving a period of 10 to 30 years to develop the necessary technology and resources. The most recent US plan, NASA's Constellation Program, had a Martian mission as its ultimate aim, but as of 2010 has an uncertain future

© DETLEV VAN RAVENSWAAY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY