Campus Currents
New Training Facility

Groundbreaking for the MMA Center for Professional Mariner Development (CPMD) is planned for May, the first phase of which is a firefighting training facility on academy-owned land in Penobscot, Maine.

The goal is to complete the new classroom space and equip the facility for firefighter training for MMA students and professional mariners to use in the 2018-19 academic year.

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  • Maritime Conference
    Regiment
    Maritime Conference, Real DealMMA hosted the second annual State Maritime Academy Leadership Conference, March 16-18. Current and aspiring student leaders…
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  • Ready to Cruise
    Training Ship
    Ready to CruiseT/S State of Maine will depart May 10
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  • Maine Ocean High School Start-Up in Searsport
    Community
    Maine Ocean High School Start-Up in SearsportWith a tip of the hat to several MMA alumni, Maine’s second public magnet school is set to open…
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  • Books and More
    Library services
    Books & MoreLibrary offers new services, high-tech learning tools, and staff recommended new books.
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  • David Gardner
    Town Halls
    MMA Strategy SharedOn March 27 and 28, Academy leadership highlighted plans for, and progress toward, the future of MMA with the campus community.
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  • Shawn Heath
    Facilities
    Cover a Lot of GroundMMA Facilities crew gathers for a Q&A session that provides insight into what it takes to keep the lights on and more.
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  • Alayne Felix
    Athletics
    Poised PresenceAlayne Felix leads by example on and off the basketball court.
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Take the Quiz

Celestial Navigation

Astronavigation has always been, and continues to be, a mainstay of MMA instruction. Can you ace these questions provided by Marine Transportation Dept. Chair Rick Miller? (correct answers in bold/italics)

1. A ship is in longitude 73°00’W on a true course of 090°. The ship’s clocks are on the proper time zone. At what longitude should the clocks be changed to maintain the proper zone time?
  1. 60°00’W
  2. 67°30’W
  3. 75°00’W
2. During the month of August the Sun’s declination is:
  1. north and increasing
  2. north and decreasing
  3. south and increasing
  4. south and decreasing
3. The zenith is the point on the celestial sphere that is:
  1. 90° away from the poles
  2. directly over the observer
  3. on the eastern horizon
  4. over Greenwich

See the Stars in MMA’s Planetarium - You control the 360° view of the night sky as it changes perspectives in the planetarium where Marine Transportation Department Chair, Rick Miller uses it to aid teaching the Celestial Navigation class to students and their understanding of this exacting form of navigation, which has relevance even in the age of electronic aids. (IOS (Apple) device users may need to open this video in the YouTube app for full VR functionality. Access the YouTube app typically by clicking on the YouTube icon.)