Richard E. Byrd Using a Sextant, circa 1927

In this set, a number of our staff highlight favorite space-related artifacts from The Henry Ford's collections. The objects they picked all speak to the underlying tools and technologies that have allowed our understanding of the universe to grow. Whether we are observing celestial bodies or venturing into space, humankind has designed innovative ways to overcome the many challenges of comprehending and exploring the cosmos.

During his polar expeditions, Richard E. Byrd relied on navigational instruments not much changed in 200 years. Byrd's sextant measured the angle between an astronomical object -- the Sun or a star -- and the horizon. Based on the time of day it was measured, this angle was used to determine Byrd's position on a navigational chart.

In the first four decades of the 20th century, polar explorers set off to discover what lay in the vast cold regions surrounding the North and South Poles. Their expeditions navigated a long-sought-for passage, crossed frozen oceans, charted a continent, and conquered the Earth's poles.

On May 9, 1926, explorer Richard Byrd and pilot Floyd Bennett took off from Norway on a round-trip flight to the North Pole in their Fokker Tri-Motor airplane Josephine Ford. Though Byrd is generally credited with reaching the pole, controversy remains over whether he could have made the 1,350-mile journey in the 16 hours he and Bennett spent aloft. Whatever doubts remain today, Byrd was celebrated as a leading polar explorer of his time.