Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-25
No More Fantastic to Suggest Such d Veyage
Than 1t Mas to Discuss Flying 800 Miles
in an Auplane Fifty Years Ago, Says
French Sa0ant, Telling @Latest Plans
for Lunar In1asion.

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Oberth published a work on transplanetary
communications in 1928 that in many respects
is still today far in advance of all other studies
on the same subject. To him belongs the special
merit of having discovered a practical method
Of increasing the speed of the elected gases to
1000 meters (about 4,370 yards) a second and
probably even more.
Zone therefore can say that he has put within
our reach the possibility of building a rocket
that will overcome terrestrial attraction.
ut is even probable that by his method we
can reach speeds of 5000 meters a second, which
brings us very close to the realization of a
vehicle that not only will attain the big open
spaces, but be able to return to earth.
FINALLY, he has foreseen the danger of the
rocket becoming overheated when it plunges
into the dense atmosphere of earth upon its
return and he proposes to palliate this by plac-
ing a cushion of liquid air in the prov of the
projectile, which will not only absorb part of
the heat produced, but, more important still,
constitute a mattress of protecting vapor to
protect the nose in its terrific impact against
the atmosphere.
Prof. Oberth has also studied a rocket pro-
PEELED by alcohol which offers important TECH
nical advantages and has even made complete
designs of these two models"
This was regarded as an extraordinary tribute.
particularly coming from a canny French scien-
tific man, and the latter backed up his admira-
ton In a solid way by announcing that the
German work was so valuable the 5000 franc
prize for 1928 would be doubled. Esnault-
Pelterie went out of his way to mention the re-
markable studies made along this line by Prof.
II. H. Goddard of Worcester, Mass, and also de-
clared that the recent successful attempt of Or,
Irving Langmuir of the General Electric lab
orator1eS at Schenectady, in producing atomic
hydrogen may solve the whole question of pro-
viding the rocket with sufficient power.
In a new book he has just published, 1.-THE
Exploration of the Upper Atmosphere by Rock
cts. and the Future of Interplanetary Conn
munications, the French scientist gives the fol-
lowing time schedule of the 240, 000-mile trip
to the moon:
First phase (accelerating for the first 1000
miles. where the earths influence Is predom-
inant), 81 minutes.
Second phase flying on momentum for 237,-
$50 miles through a kind of vacuum), AZ hours
80 minutes.
Third phase (braking for the last $50 miles
to slow down on approaching the NOON, 3
minutes 46 seconds.
Total, 49 hours 10 minutes 46 seconds.
THE most remarkable feature of his project,
- which is virtually identical with Prof.
Oberths. is the scheme for landing gently ON
the moon. The rocket would turn tail foremost
$50 miles before arriving, probably by means
of a lateral auxiliary rocket, and then go for
ward tail first, the propulsive gases slowing up
the descent to a safe landing speed.
The return landing on the earth would be
made in the same way, but the rocket would be
turned 1000 miles away, the gravitation pull Of
the earth being far stronger than that of the
moon. If the passengers wished, they could
drop of with parachuteS during the last five or
six miles. in order to make a softer contact with
their homeland again.
Il am practically convinced that this flight to
the moon will be possible som time" Esnault-
Pelterie told me.
You may think it is folly to study this