The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-11-17
JOURNEY TO MARS
WOULD TAKE 1000
YEARS In ROCKET
FASTEST ROCKET SCIENCE
HAS PRODUCED ATTAINS
SPEED OF SEVEN HUNDRED
MILES PER HOUR
(By HOWARD w. BLAKESLEE)
APP Science Editor

NEW lOAtLA, WV "
years since the so-called canals"
were discovered on Mars. science
has not been able to rule out alb
solutely the possibility of living
beings on the red planet.
Two kinds of beings are still
possible there.
One is the life as we know
it" sort, meaning oxygen breath
ers like men. Astronomers have
definitely established that Mars
has only about one thousandth
the oxygen in its air that is pres
ent on earth. No human could
live there without an oxygen
helmet.
Mars Shy On Oxygen
But, as pointed out by DR..
Henry Norris Russell of Prince
ton University, one of the worlds
greatest astronomers, persons on
Mars, of no greater intelligence
than man, could have learned to
extract oxygen to use for breath
ing purposes. A long time ago
Mars is presumed to have had
more abundant oxygen.
The other sort of person on
Mars would be "anerobic," that
is, not needing oxygen. Among
bacteria and a few other low
forms of life on earth, there are
"anerobes." They live without
oxygen. So if evolution is plaus-
ible, life might develop on Mars
with little need for oxygen.
Mars temperature, around the
equator, in summer is about so
degrees Fahrenheit. This has
been accurately measured by as
tronomers. Clouds have been
seen in telescopes. They seem
to stand about Is miles above the
surface. They may be huge dust
storms.
A few canals" are two thou
sand miles or more long, almost
straight lines. They stretch across
the planets face at odd angles
Short feeders, like telephone
crosstrees, enter them at some
places.
Looks Like Vegetation
Some areas on Mars turn dis
tinctly gray-green in summer.
Vegetation is the best guess as
to the cause of this color
change.
If this is vegetation, is prob
ably would be of a lowly desert
variety.
Photographs do not show the
canals" at all. These have to be
seen with the eye. Some of the
best astronomers claim to see
them; others have denied the
lines are visible.
The earth's separation from
communication with Mars is be
coming less certain now. Theo-
retically a space ship could make
the flight.
Would Take 1000 Years
Rocket ship propulsion would
do it--for a man who had one
tousand years or more to live
and fuels which do not exist
The engineering principles
have been established by rocket
motor scientists. These have
shown that rocket will shoot
through empty" space. in fact,
travel much easier there than in
atmosphere.
Rocket engineers have pro-
duccd speeds of 700 miles an
hour with small rocket motors,
and might predict that speeds of
LOOP miles an hour are attain
able.
AT that rate, unless the rocket
ship travelled many times faster
in space, it would take about L.
400 years TO fly to Mars when the
planet is closest. The distances
from earth range from $4,000, 900
miles to $4,000 900.
For Martians. If they exist. to
be the pioneers in a trip between
planets. much more advanced
knowledge than exists on earth
would be necessary. Scientists
know that stores of high energy
exist in the binding forces of
atoms that could drive a rocket
ship millions OF miles.
But there is yet no idea of how
this energy can be obtained. and
some doubt that il can ever be
done II Martians have found out
how 10 get atomic energy, il is
likely they also have the ma
terials and the engineering skill
10 make = flight 20 earth.
But no Martians have arrived.
50 that this speculation. like all
the others. ends in the verdict
no evidence Of higher forms If
life On Mars