The Washington times., 1920-01-25
Shooting At The Moon
II. Speed overcomes power,
A Rocket Which Has Enough Speed Will Explode
on the Surface of the Satellite.

With speed power. Speed overcomes power,
being in itself proof and demonstration Of power.
II you take a talow candle and push 1t against an
oak door, you will haten out the candle 1t will not affect
the hard wood But put that candle in the barrel OF
rife shoot it against the door with charge of powder
back of it, GIVE SPEED and the taow candle will 60
through an oaken inch plank though it made of
steel instead of grease
The speed does it.
In the effort to reach the moon that scientists are
now seriously preparing headed by Professor Goddard of
Clarke College and aided by the Smithsonian Institution
the first question is, WHAT SPEED CAN BE AT
TANNED?
You know, of course, that there is no up" or
down in the universe in which earth rolls around
the sun We stick to the earth because the power of
gravtato due the size and weight of the earth holds
here the power Of gravitation could be ended we
should all shoot of into space and the world would 60
along without us.
In order to send carrier to the moon necessary
to overcome the earh force that everything that
goes up in the air to fall back 1t is all mere matter
Of SPEED
If from mountain top you should fire bullet leav
ing the cannons mouth at rate OF speed less than
feet per second the bullet would fall to the earth after
having travelled a certain distance
If you shot your bullet from cannon at the rate of
$500 feet per second would fall to the EARTH
but would continue going round and round the eath and
should have little bullet moon whrlng around the
earth at the height of the mountain from which it was
fred
II you Sh0t bulet the eaItn al Lne raIe OF
$1,000 feet per second it would fly off, never to come
back go out beyond the earhs power of attraction.
If you pointed your cannon straight up toward the
moon aimed at the moon your rocket as Professor
Goddard is preparing to do you would hit the moon if
your proecte left the earth at speed equal to six and
seventy seven hundreths miles per second.
This rate of speed would take the projectile up
through the eahs little air cushion about two hundred
where the earhs power of ravtaton would end and the
moons power would begin The projectile would shoot
up the first part of the Journey fan down. the second
part, landing on the moon inevitably.
The plan is to charge part of Professor Goddards
rocket with some brilliantly nfammable and explosive
stuff aim it at dark moon, then watch with telescope
and by the flash that the messenger had struck the
moons surface and exploded.
This is not Jules Verne theory but the deliberate
planning OF scientific men.
This earth of course, will talk in years with
the inhabitants that live the other planets first learn
ing to read their language method of communicating
thought, studied out the cuneifom inscriptions
When you talk of visiting strange city you like to
know something about the city Now that there is talk
of sending message to the moon, the moon becomes
doubly interesting.
strange place is our beautiful moon that lights the
earth at night gives to the the power of the tides
and roams through space with us like child going with
it's mother
The moon, forty nine times smaller than the earth,
has mountains almost high highest The craters
of extinct volcanoes the moon gigantic some
nearly 200 miles in diameter, and the surface of the
moon is dotted with them There has been fearful vol
canic activity there at times.
It must be borne in mind that while the moon is sup
posed to be dead with water atmosphere there
fore possibility of e it is so far as science goes
SUPPOSITION There may be thin atmosphere close
to the moons surface. And there may be upon that
strange abode creatures living without air. We have on
this earth certain microbes that die when exposed to
oxygen and thrive without it. If human beings had
any fish swimming in the water they would be
willing to testify that anything five minutes under water
must necessarily be dead There may be life on the
moons surface there might even be intelligent life living
within the moon, hiding away in of the great vol
cratars athouQh that is imnrnbahle