Exploration The discovery of the new world was a chance find. When Christopher Columbus sets sail in 1492, his goal was to find a western route to India. Instead, he discovered the Bahamas. Christopher Columbus would go on to make three more voyages and eventually discover south America. Many other explorers sailed to the new world to claim lands for their country’s as well.This would not have happened if not for a few advancements in technology. With the improvement of European ships from square-rigged and limited sales to a modified Portuguese Caravel using square-rigged, sail design from Arabic, and a sternpost rudder, allowed ships to better utilize winds, have more control in changing direction and travel further. With the invention of the printing press, documents such as charts and maps were easier to obtain. Europeans had already been using the compass for navigation since the 13th century. With the creation of the astrolabe and quadrant, finding the ship’s location at sea and navigation was easier and more accurate. Both simple devices, the astrolabe was used to determine a ship’s location while a quadrant could determine location as well as the time of day. Both devices enabled explorers to reach the new world. Without this technology, Christopher Columbus and the other explorers would have been unable to discover and conquer the world.