Target—the Moon

Let us suppose that we are aboard a rocket-ship bound for the moon. It is a journey which would take about three or four days, and as our rocket roars into the sky we watch the land and sea falling behind us. The clouds, too, are soon left behind and the sky becomes a darker blue. The curve of the earth is clearly visible from a hundred miles above its surface and, after a day's journey, our planet becomes a distant globe like a big full moon. It is a water-blue colour and streaked with patches of cloud, beneath which we can see areas of green and brown where the forests and desert lands are found. At the north and south poles are the white icecaps.

The pull of the earth's gravity is weakening and the feebler pull of the moon is growing as we approach. There is a blaze of sunshine far more intense than we find on earth, but in the shadows, when the sun is not dazzling us, the brilliant stars shine out in a sky of velvet black.

We are falling at a speed of five thousand miles an hour towards a strange world of dusty plains, rugged mountains and great craters, which has remained almost unchanged for millions of years.

Our landing is controlled by a radar set in the rocket-ship which can judge our distance accurately. At the critical moment the forward-firing jets begin to blaze. We are feeling our own weight again as the engines reduce our speed. For a few seconds there is a cloud of fire and dust and then silence. We are on the moon.