The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-03-22
BY DAVID DIETZ
Scripps- Howard Science Editor

oltAppa-hohdAh pAiChCC LAitOI
A N arid and scorched-up world is
"A Mercury, baking in the intense
heat of the suns direct rays. Three
times as close to the sun as is the
earth, little Mercury receives nine
times as much heat and light from
the sun. Since the planet has no
blanket of air, all of it falls directly
upon the rocky surface.
We head our rocket ship for Mer-
curry, even though we shall not wish
to stay there long, for the surface
! temperature Of Mercury is about 300
degrees, and about as comfortable,
therefore, as the top of red-hot
stove.
Our interest is not SO much in
Mercury, whose scenery will not
differ very greatly from that upon
the moon, as it is in the sun. Mer-
curry will prove a wonderful vantage
point from which to study the sun.
Tuesday, you will recall, we COM
pleted our explorations on the moon.
The hop from the earth to the
moon was one of 100000 miles, a
trifing one as distances go in as
tronomy. We have a longer Journey
ahead of US now, one of approx
mately 100000 miles.
The moon. automatically speak
ing, is in the earth's back yard. AS
every one knows, it is the eartn'S
satellite, revolving around the
earth.
Cross Orbit of Venus
Mercury is one of the nine
planets, including our own earth.
which revolve about the sun. 1t is
the smallest of all the planets and
! the closest to the sun. From the sun
to earth is 93,OOO,0OO miles From
the sun to Mercury is 100000
miles.
To get to Mercury, therefore, we
must point our ship toward the sun
and fly across the orbit of Venus,
whose distance from the sun is g.
600, 900 miles.
Rocketing toward the sun is diff
cult, for the bright disk Of the sun
is directly in front of us. To pro-
tect our eyes, we must place heavy
/ shades of dark violet glass over all
the glass portfolios Of the control
room,
The sun grows | g r, and
brighter, and hotter, as we approach
Mercury. We are flying faster now
than on our journey to the moon.
Then a mere 10000 miles an hour
was sufficient speed. But at that
rate it would take us two months to
reach Mercury.
Accordingly we have speeded up
our ship to 100000 miles an hour.
AT that rate we shall reach Mercury
in six hours, the same length OF
time it took us to reach the moon
at the slower speed.
Surface Is Observed
Gazing ahead from the control
room Of our rocket ship We note
Mercury, shining brightly, although,
Of course. by reflected sunlight only,
TO one side of the sun. 1t grows
brighter and larger as we approach
it.
Mercury moves in its own orbit
with a speed of about thirty miles
a second. We must take this into
account in pointing our rocket to-
ward the planet. Soon we are close
enough to the planet to make out
its surface markings.
From the rocket ship, Mercury
looks now not unlike the moon
There is neither air nor water upon
Mercury, and. SIS we expected. the
planet is hfeless. We note many
large mountain ranges interSpersed
with large rolling plains.
The plains, however, are criss-
crossed with huge chasms, due to
4 the expanding and cracking of the
surface rocks in the intense heat
of the sun.
We bring our rocket ship to rest
upon rocky plateau. We shall not
disemhark because We are too near
TO the sun for comfort and safety.
But let us study the sun through
the heavy glass shades OF our ships
control room.
I@ese shades Will serve the same