Today, we take many scientific theories for granted.  In Copernicus’s time a geocentric cosmic model was still in place, which did not accurately predict celestial motions.  In the sixteenth century many adventurers were embarking on long sea voyages, without an exact way to navigate once they lost sight of land.  Today we have GPS, which can tell you what room in your house you’re standing in, and can definitely allow you to calculate if you have enough water and food to make it the New World.  Although Copernicus did not set out to create an accurate navigation system for sailors on the high seas, by theorizing a system that corresponded with astronomical observations he set the game in motion that allowed people to pinpoint their location on the planet.  But perhaps his greatest accomplishment was changing people’s perception of the Universe; very few individuals in history have done that.