Equipping Expeditionary Astronomers: Nevil Maskelyne and the Development of ‘Precision Exploration

This chapter explores how the cultural practices of exploration and explorers themselves might be considered as part of this wider definition of objects of exploration'. The addition of the Royal Observatory to the NMM in 1957 further strengthened the link between Britain's maritime history and the country's impact on the wider world through scientific and geographical exploration. Some scholars have recently suggested, we might regard ships as self-contained maritime communities, then perhaps ships on scientific voyages of exploration might be seen as floating universities or academies. Scientific academy or the Admiralty ship and into the hands of individuals who could, literally, hold the world in their hands. Exploration happens somewhere, and that somewhere always has an impact on people; people have to deal with basic human needs in order to do exploratory work. The work of scientific exploration relied on a whole assemblage of instruments' ships, oil paintings, everyday objects not immediately associated with precision technology.