The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-05-18
WAY TO SIGNAL MARS |
Professor David Todd win Use
a Balloon.
TO TRY TO RECEIVE MESSAGES
Amherst Man Will Ascend Higher
Than Ever Before When Planet Is
Nearest to the Earth-How Professor
DoolittIe Would Signal Mars.

/ Nearest to the Earth-How Professor
DoolittIe Would Signal Mars.
Professor David Todd of Amhers
college does not believe it absurd tx
] plan for communication with Other
worlds and in an attempt to get sig
mails from Mars will ascend in bal
loon to height greater than usually
reached, says Boston dispatch He
will be accompanied by Leo Stevens
the aeronaut This plan to surmount
natural difficulties will be tried not
later than September, when the planet
| Mars is nearest the earth.
Professor Todd, speaking of the
| novel test he has planned, said in part:
| IF life really exists on Mars they
have been trying for years to get into
conversation with us and perhaps won
der what manner of stupid things we
are not to respond. Following this as
sumption, I have thought that we
might feel their presence if we could
get high enough up, away from the
noises and the ether waves that sur
round us, up in the rarefied regions Of
our atmosphere with nothing to dis
turb the communication.
In mounting high up in the balloon
to attempt to intercept any ether
waves that may be radiating from the
planets | shall be shut into a metal
box made of aluminium for lightness
and fitted with apparatus to drive out
the carbonic acid gas and supply oxy-
gen and with air pressure to prevent
sickness. In that way l can ascend
much higher than balloons have here
tofore gone. We shall take along the
wireless receiving instrument and try
to Intercept messages from Mars, We
nus or any other Of the planets.
"The planet Venus defes the tele-
scope. All. we get from Venus is a
reflection from the planets atmosphere
or gaseous envelope. This very at
mosphere of Venus is a sign of preba-
BILE life on the planet
We cannot presume to send mes.
sages to Mars on this coming trip, but
will only try to receive. The question
has been raised OF how we should get
our grand connection necessary for
biography
There are several answers. We
will use what is practicable. If. in the
meantime, it is established that thou
sand foot wire hanging from the car
with surrounding atmosphere forms
grounding, We will use that !, IS
When asked about the practieability
of recent plans for establishing com
munication with Mars. Professor Eric
Doolittle of the Flower astronomical
observatory, University OF Pensyl-
Vania, said:
The idea of signaling to Mars with |
the object of determining whether or |
not the planet is inhibited is practical /
and might be easilyscarried out by the
construction of large geometrical re-
Electors in the plains of Siberia. The
triangle. the square and the circularI
plane could be used. Were we now on
Mars with our telescopes, such a set
or figures would be distinctly discernf- +
bic. Ii Mars Is Inhabited by intelIi
gent men, and If among them there
are astronomers watching this earth.
those men would see these geometrical
figures, and they would communicate
by constructing SIMILAR devices.
Professor Doolittle thought that the
expenditure Of the proposed ST 1000 600
for establishing communication with
Mars would be impracticable until it
was definitely determined that Mars
was Inhabited.