About this item
In the early eighteenth century at the peak of the Enlightenment an unlikely team of European scientists and naval officers set out on the worldrsquos first international cooperative scientific expeditionIntent on making precise astronomical measurements at the Equator they were poised to resolve one of mankindrsquos oldest mysteries the true shape of the Earth In Measure of the Earth award-winning science writer Larrie D Ferreiro tells the full story of the Geodesic Mission to the Equator for the very first timeIt was an age when Europe was torn between two competing conceptions of the world the followers of Reneacute Descartes argued that the Earth was elongated at the poles even as IsaacNewton contended that it was flattened A nation that could accurately determine the planetrsquos shape could securely navigate its oceans giving it great military and imperial advantagesRecognizing this France and Spain organized a joint expedition to colonial Peru Spainrsquos wealthiest kingdomArmed with the most advanced surveying and astronomical equipment they would measure a degree of latitude at the Equator which when compared with other measurements would reveal the shape of the worldBut what seemed to be a straightforward scientific exercise was almost immediately marred by a series of unforeseen catastrophes as the voyagers found their mission threatened by treacherous terrain a deeply suspicious populace and their own hubrisA thrilling tale of adventure political history and scientific discovery Measure of the Earth recounts the greatest scientific expedition of the Enlightenment through the eyes of the men who completed itmdashpioneers who overcame tremendous adversity to traverse the towering Andes Mountains in order to discern the Earthrsquos shape In the process they also opened the eyes of Europe to the richness of South America and paved the way for scientific cooperation on a global scale.
About the Author
Larrie D. Ferreiro is the 2017 Pulitzer finalist for History, for his book "Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It". He received his PhD in the History of Science and Technology from Imperial College London. He teaches history and engineering at George Mason University in Virginia and the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. He has served for over thirty-five years in the US Navy, US Coast Guard and Department of Defense, and was an exchange engineer in the French Navy. He lives with his wife and their sons in Virginia.
