We have entered the era of space travel. Men who will first land on the moon are already among us. Time is not far off when we will travel to other planets as we travel now to other countries. Gagarin, Titov, Sheppard, and others have already proved that it is possible to cross the limit of the gravity of the earth and travel anywhere in space.
In order to escape the gravitational pull of the earth, a speed of at least seven miles per second is necessary. This speed is possible only by means of a rocket. It is an aero-plane that flies up speedier than a bullet.
It has to be fired in a fixed direction like a gun. When it escapes the gravitational pull of the earth, another rocket comes out of the first rocket and continues the journey upward to any destination without any friction because there is nothing, not even air, to slow down its speed.
Space travel raises many problems. The first is the problem of refueling and supplies. This will be accomplished by means of a floating platform round the earth on which supplies of all kinds will be stored and this will be used for landing and repairing purposes. This interplanetary station will be the first stage. We may need many such interplanetary stations if we attempt long voyages to distant stars like the Mars.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Another problem is that of weightlessness. Once we escape the gravity of the earth we will cease to have any weight. We will be able to walk on the roof or walls like an ant. In that case we will need magnet in our shoes to keep us tied to the iron floors. All our tables, chairs, etc., will have to be nailed or they will start flying like a magician’s work.
Food is the third problem. It will not be possible for us to eat or drink anything in the usual way. Since there will be no gravity, it will not be possible to push the food down our throats by the common method of putting it into our mouth. Food will have to be taken in tubes such as we use for toothpaste purposes. It will have to be put in the mouth and pulled down into the stomach by practice.
Atmosphere will be the fourth problem. We will have to carry air in sealed bottles, because there is no air above in space and we cannot live without air. Both air and water will have to be carried along with other necessaries of life.
Those who first land on the moon will not find it that interesting place which it appears to be on a moonlit night. It may be a dry, deserted and dead world where nothing grows. Men who go there will enjoy the earthlight as we enjoy the moonlight here.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The problem of space travel will be overcome in stages. Space travel offers much romantic possibility. Science has brought many wonders and if man succeeds in space travel on a large scale, it will open the mysteries of other planets.
America’s Saturn rockets, Gemini’s and Surveyors, and Russia’s Sputniks, Cosmoses, etc. are taking mankind nearer the conquest of moon. It is now a matter of a couple of years of waiting to see the glorious day. The research is already nearing completion.