The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-03-21
BY DAVID DIETZ
Scripps- Howard Science Editor

THE going is rough upon the
l. sea of serenity. The face of
the moon is rugged and uneven.
Everywhere there are jagged rocks
and yawning crevasses. Fortunately
we can leap twenty-five feet at
bound, otherwise our exploration
would be difficult and firing.
Six hours ago, you will recall, we
left the earth in our rocket ship,
bound for the moon. We have
landed upon a great, roughly cir.
cular plain known as the sea of
serenity. The ancient name is still
used, although astronomers have
known for a century that there
is neither air nor water upon the
moon.
Owing to the fact that the force
Of gravity upon the moon is only
one sixth of what it is upon earth,
we find that our weight is only
sixth of what it was on earth and
that we can jump six times as far
or high.
And SO, equipped with breathing
helmets and oxygen tanks, and
electrically asbestos suits to
protect us from the intense heat of
the suns direct rays, we start out
across the sea of serenity.
The scene resembles nothing we
ever have seen on earth. Since there
is neither air nor water, there is no
vegetation. Not only is plant life
missing, but also all the scenic
features which owe their origin to
the erosive powers of wind, rain,
flowing streams and waves.
Dust Covers Ground
There is no soil, such as is known
on earth, for soil is the product of
rock decay brought about by the
action of rain and flowing water.
We find the ground over which
we are walking covered with fine
dust, an inch or so thick. 1t is
meteoric dust, the result of the i'm
pact of millions of meteors upon the
surface of the moon.
If on earth, you watch the clear
night sky for fifteen minutes or so,
you will be rewarded by the sight Of
little streak of fire. You have seen
what is known popularity as a
shooting star"
But it is not a star at all. 1t is
a meteor. Most meteors are no
larger than grains of sand. They en-
ter the earth's atmosphere from
outer space. Friction against the
air causes them to grow white hot
and burn up. AS a result we see
the trail of fire, but only after the
meteor has entered the earth's at
moSphere.
MeteOrs Bring Hazard
Usually the meteor is completely
consumed in its journey through
the air. Occasionally, an extra
large one enters the atmosphere. A
piece escapes destruction, falls to
earth, and is known as a meteorite.
On the moon, because there is no
atmosphere, every meteor falls TO
ground, its speed undated until it
crashes upon the lunar rocks, shat
tered into powder by the force of
the blow.
A hazard of lunar exploration is
the danger that one of these me-
teors might strike us. However,
we have thought of that possibility
and brought along umbrellas of
bullet-proof steel.
These weigh only one-siXth as
much on the moon as they would on
earth, and so they will not hamper
us to any appreciate extent.
We note that the ground upon
which we walk is a solidified lava
flow. Therein lies the key to all of
the lunar scenery. Violent, explo-
sive, volcanic action at some dim
distant date. perhaps 1O0,000,000
years ago, shaped the face of the
moon as we now know it.
Leap Crater Pits
Here and there are wide crevaSseS
where the lavo flow, in solidfying,
has cracked open. We see also many
crater pits from which lava has
welled forth at some distant time.
Our progress across the plain would
be very slow indeed where it not for
our ability to leap across the mod
erate-sized crevasseS.
Occasionally we find our path
impeded by great curved ridge of
rock Many of these stretch across
the plain in long serpentine twists.
They, too, were volcanic in origin,
scientists believe, having been
formed by lava flows which welled
up at some later date through
cracks which had previously formed
upon the moons surface.
Travelling much faster than we
could hope to walk upon the earth's
surface. we finally cross the sea of
Serenity and enter the smaller
mountain ranges that stand be-
tween us and the taller Apennines.
Going Becomes Harder
Now the going is harder than
ever. Frequently, we find ourselves
face to face with long wall-liked
cliffs. We must travel along their
edge until we find a ravine that
breaks into their face. Then we
ascend the jagged slopes of the ra-
vine to the higher plateau beyond.
Finally we come to the edge of
the great Apennines themselves.
They possess all the majesty of
mountains upon earth. But their
majesty has overtones of the SUI
pernatural. They look weird and
mysterious to our eyes, which are
accustomed to earthly scenery.
On earth, mountains rise out of
fSlPQ co,Nr l1ovS low eI0y1oe