The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1909-06-07
WAY TO SIGNAL MARS
Professor David Todd Will Use
a Balloon.
TO TRY TO RECEIVE MESSAGES

Amherst Man Will Ascend Higher
Than Ever Before When Planet 10
Nearest to the Earth-How Professor
DooIittIe Would Signal Mars.
Professor David Todd Of Amherst
college does not believe it absurd TO
plan for communication with other
worlds and in an attempt to get sig
mails from Mars viii ascend in a ball
loon to a height greater than usually
reached, says a Boston dispatch. He
will be accompanied by Leo Stevens,
the This plan to surmount
natural difficulties will be tried not
later than September, when the planet
Mars is nearest b 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, | ave thought that we
might feel thei presence II we could
get high enough up, away from the
noises and the ether waves that sur
round us. up in the rarefed regions OF
our atmosphere with nothing to dis
turb the communication.
I'm mounting high up in the balloon
to attempt to intercept any ether
waves that may be radiating from the
planets I shall be shut into q metal
box made of aluminium for nghtness
and fitted with apparatus to drive out
h carbonic acid gas and supply *
gen and with air pressure to prevent
sickness. In that way I 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 Ia a sign of proba-
BILE life on the planet.
I'VE 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
telegraphy.
There are several We
will use what Is practicable. If, In the
meantime, it is established that q thou
sand foot wire hanging from the car
with surrounding atmosphere forms q
grounding We will use that"
When asked about the ~practicabiltty
Of recent plans for establishing COM
munication with Mars, Professor Eric
Doolittle of the Flower astronomical
observatory, University OF Pensyl-
vania, said:
"The lei OF signaling to Mars with
the object of determining whether or
not the planet is inhabited Is practical
and might be easily carried out by the
construction of large geometrical re-
Electors in the plains OF Siberia. The
triangle, the square and the circular
plane could be used. Were we now on
Mars with our telescopes, such a set
of figures would be distinctly discerni-
bic. If Mars is inhabited by intelli-
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 $4,000, GOO
for establishing communication with
Mars would be impracticable until 1t
was definitely determined that Mars
was inhabited.