The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-04-14
-Dietz on Science
'TOPSY TURVV
REGION REACHED
IN ROCKET SHIP
Scientist PAGES Ceiling as
Space Plane Streaks
Through Ether.
BY DAVID DIETZ
soripps Howard Science Editor

Ten million miles from tn earth.
we enter the dining salon Of DIR
rocket ship for lunch full of
amazing surprises. We are about
to learn the difference between life
or earth and life in a rocket ship.
AS We seat ourselves at the ia
bles of the salon, the chief of our
scientific staff saunters in from the
laboratory. There is a broad smile
on his face as he stops in the door
way.
Somebody toss me a sandwich"
h, requests.
With an equally broad smile. the
chief navigator proceeds to oblige
him.
We aspect to see the sandwich
describe an arc through the air and
land in our scientists hands. But
instead the sandwich continues to
rise in the air until it rests against
the ceiling.
The sandwich remains suspended
against the ceiling as though be-
Wltched. We stare in surprise.
Floats to Ceiling
Never mind" says the scientist.
I'll get it,"
Without any apparent effort, he
springs into the air and to our
amazement, slowly floats up into
space until his head touches the
ceiling.
We find it hard to believe our own
eyes. With no apparent difficulty.
ne proceeds to recline on a sofa,
reaches for the sandwich and takes
a bite.
Then, he rises to his feet, stand
ing upside down upon the ceiling.
walks across the ceiling, down one
of the walls of the salon, and across
the floor to us.
Noticing the amazement upon most
OF the faces around him, he roars
with laughter. Finally we persuade
him to explain the mystery.
You are accustomed to the way
| things happen upon the surface of
the earth" he begins.
You are surprised to find that
they happen differently out here in
space. But, if you just stop and
think about it, it would be far more
amazing if things happened here as
they do on earth. If they did, then
I would be amazed.
Out of Gravity Field
"The chief factor upon the earths
surface is gravity. Gravity makes
life possible by holding the oceans
in their beds and holding the at
moSphere around the earth.
II we had been seated in a din
ing room on earth, and I had asked
some ore to toss me a roll, it would
be an easy thing to do. The roll, on
leaving your hand, would start up
in the air, reach maximum height,
and then descend until it fell into
my hand.
Nov what happened? At the
very instant the roll left your hand,
the force of gravity began to act
upon it. At the instant that grav-
ity got the upper hand, the roll
began to fall.
But out here IN space, 100000
miles from the earth, the earths
gravitational field does not act upon
us.
Similarly, when I leaped into the
air, there was no force of gravity to
pull me back to the floor. Conse-
quently, I kept on going until my
head hit the ceiling.
AS yet, we do not comprehend
what has taken place. and clamo1
for a simpler explanation.
Speed Is Increased
Il called the first mate on the
bridge and told him to increase the
speed of the ship little.
He tells us until that moment. we
had been moving along at an abso-
lutely uniform speed.
Now 1 think all Of you who know
how, when the driver of an automo-
bile starts up too SUDDENLY, the jerk
of the car forward throws you back
in your seat. That is the effect of
acceleration.
When our first mate increased
the speed of the rocket ship, at once
we felt the effect of the accelera-
ton. There was no jerk, because he
increased speed very gradually.
1T was just as though a force
of gravity suddenly began to oper-
ate from behind the rear wall of
this ROOM" he concluded.
1t is nearly morning, and we have
been up all night. At least that is
the case upon the earth. Now that
we are out in space, there is neither
day nor night, for they depend upon
the rotation Of the earth. At any
rate, it's time to get some Sleep"