Sentence:  They lay months away from the nearest Earth star by jump drive , and no one <WSD>knew</WSD> what they were good for , although it was felt that they would probably be good for something if it could only be discovered - much like the continent of Antarctica in ancient history . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about