EIGHT MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE
Wednesday, Norember 20, 1957
FDynimg PDomie'fc Hleeded If
Trips
Long
o
G
G
Q
Original Crew Would
Replaced in Space
ie
By WILLIAM TERRY
United Pres Correspondent
Berkeley, Calif. (HI Man can explore his stellar backyard
the solar system with relative ease. But to chart a course out
ward bound to the nearest star he would have to construct a spa
tial Noah's ark that would fly for more than 200 years.
If he harnessed the power of a nuclear bomb and started out
tomorrow for Pluto, the most distant planet at three and a half
billion miles, he would arrive in about 18 days.
But if he sailed on by Pluto heading for the nearest star,
Proxima Centauri, 30 thousand billion miles away in hope of find
ing another planetary system, it would be 2182 before he saw
earth again. - .
It would be a battle against .time as well as the unknown and
the original crew would be replaced by new generations born in
space.
Such a spine-tingling plan would require the creation of a fly
ing planet, populated with people and animals, to survive on this
lonely journey through a dark and eerie space.
They would be trapped in this
perhaps forgotten world moving
at a stellar snail's pace through
distance startling to the imagi
nation. Soon after takeoff all radio
and radar contact would be lost
for man does not have a signal
powerful enough to penetrate
the tremendous distance even of
solar space. Telescopes would
be useless as the ship receded
into the darkness of space and
solar light dimmed on the sur
face of the ship.
The trip to Pluto, says Uni
versity of California astronomer
Dr. John Crawford, "will soon
become feasible, and the trip to
Proxima with rockets of much
greater size will some day be
possible-"
"Under ideal conditions and
traveling at four percent the
speed of light or 27 million miles
an hour, in two weeks' time you
would leave the solar system
and begin drifting through
space for 225 years on the round
trip to Proxima Centauri four
(nd a half light years away."
Crawford says that man will
have no trouble tolerating such
speeds. In space, time and dis
tance would be relative and he
would not be aware of his mo
tion through the stars just as
we are not aware on earth, of
our motion around the sun.
The speed of four percent that
of light (light travels at 186,000
miles a second) could be at
tained by harnessing nuclear en
(frgy, Crawford says.
The ship would build up speed
rapidly and in two weeks would
have attained maximum veloci
ty. Power then would be shut
off and the ship would drift the
remainder of the way to the
nearest star. Two weeks before
orbiting around Proxima the
rnrkets would be reversed for
deceleration.
Such a space ark consisting
jnostly of fuel would dwarf the
Empire State building. But it
would lose most of its mass dur
ing tbf short periods of accele
ration and deceleration.
Crawford estimates the ship
would be only one fiftieth of its
original size after the flight to
Proxima.
"You can compare the return
ing ship," he says, "to the Sput
niks, tinv beside the massive
rockets that hung them in
space."
The biggest problem is time.
"The onlv wav to beat time
the 225 years it would take you
is to construct a space ark. It's
the onlv conceivable way be
cause it is impossible to harness
a rjewer source that will take
you there much faster," Craw
ford savs.
"Tn view of this, clearlv vou
would need a small-sized village
inside the ark, reproducing its
inhabitants and producing food
during the spatial exploration
One way of supplying food
would be the breeding of ani
mals continuously during the
trin"
Also, says Crawford, the pilot
or captain of the original crew
would die along the way as well
as the doctors, the navigators
and a crew of scientists. "You
would have to provide a school
and persuade some growing up
on the ship to be teachers. You
would of course, need several
generations of crews who would
have, to learn the tricks of space
travel and carry on.
"You would need a hospital;
recreation facilities would be
mandatory; a village-type gov
ernment would have to be in
stalled by election," he says.
Food such as vegetables would
be artificially produced, perhaps
in test tubes or in some other
similar "garden," because there
would be no sunlight unless this
too were produced by powerful
machines.
The ship would probably be
shaped like bicycle wheels,
Crawford says. Except during
periods of acceleration it would
spin in space. This motion
around the ship's axis would
solve one of the greatest diffi
culties. The passengers would
live on the outer rim. Under
neath, shielded by huge ram
parts of metal, would be a hot
core of exploding atoms.
"Something like a hopped-
up merry-go-round," Crawford
says.
It might be possible, says
Crawford, to cut down the time
required for the Proxima trip.
But the fewer years allowed for
the trip, the larger the ship
and if one tries to cut too much
from the time, he would need
impossible ship sizes.
Crawford believes that a take
off to Proxima will become pos
sible, perhaps in 50 or 100
years. But the world would have
to wait two centuries for the
ship's return. ,
40 Persons Leave
Theater in Fire
Portland (IP! Persons watch
ing the movie "Operation Mad
ball" at the Orpheum theater
here shortly after noon Tuesday
suddenly saw flames on the
stage.
Then the theater began filling
with smoke. The patrons, about
40 in all, left the theater with
out panic. '
The fire, which started near
the main curtain, caused about
S20.000 damage. Firemen said
it may have started in stage
wiring. The theater will reopen
tonight.
Astrophycist Prompted to Write Down
Notes on 'Statement of Conscience'
Editor's note: The notion of
the U. S. launching a shining
"Christmas satellite" as a
peace gesture to the world has
cauht the fancy of Dr. S. Fred
Singer, a University of Mary
land astrophycist. It also set
him to thinking about the
great space race wiih Russia.
On a Nov. 16 train trip he was
prompted to put down on
paper a rocket scientist's re
vealing "statement of conscience."
BY S. FRED SINGER
Washington OP) I am not a
pacifist, and I, like many others,
recognize that war is preferable
tn living under neace which can
not be endured. But I don't think
we are doing enough to promote
peace.
Tn the nhonev Soviet neace of
fensive their hypocritical use of
the word peace has maae me
very word one which we should
avoid lest we be called 'Reds.'
If one believes sincerely as I
do, in the fundamental moral
superiority of the individual are
paramount, then I think the
course to follow is clearly mark
ed out.
You may ask why scientists
should concern themselves with
moral problems. I would answer
that concern with, the law of na
ture doesn't disqualify one from
considering many " other ques
tions. Perhaps even scientists
who now-a-days have the awful
responsibility to design new wea
pons have a special reason to
consider moral matters.
I think it is very essential that
the U.S. inaugurate the space
program which will surely lead
to man's mastery of the solar sys
tem, in a spiritual and moral
way. The Russians have chosen
to begin it by launching a metal
ball void of any spiritual signifi
cance, indeed of little scientific
significance.
What an opportunty for us. I
can't think it's necessary for us
to demonstrate any technical su
periority. Even if we could and
did rattle our sabers louder than
the Russians, even if we did enter
a 'rocket shooting contest' sug
gested by Khrushchev, what
could we gain?
There are millions of sincere
people in our country who want
peace, who strive for it and pray
for it. Their voice should be
Try and Stop Me
By BENNETT CERF-
GROUCHO MARX is one of the most faithful and articulate
adherents of the Hollywood Stars, a baseball team not
given to winning too many championships. Not too long ago, in
fact, the Stars finished last,
a mere 60 games or so be
hind the champs of the cir
cuit. The players were prop
erly apprehensive when
they heard that Groucho not
only was arranging a dinner
in their honor, but proposed
to be the principal speaker.
"In the early spring our
prospects looked pretty good,"
recalled Groucho, "but then
came the first disaster: all
our regular players reported.
By May, we faced a crisis.
Luckily we had the kind of
management that was equal to
the emergency. The price of parking was raised to thirty-five cents."
The manager of a burlesque show parried his wife's telephoned
demand that he come home pronto for a delayed supper with a sooth
Ing, "Take it easy, hon. I'll be home in two shakes."
C 1957, by Bennett Cerf. Distributed by King Feature Syndicate. '
heard, and it should be heard
around the world.
What better symbol for ex
pressing this deep felt urge than
a peace and goodwill satellite
which spells out our Christmas
wish of peace on earth and good
will to all men.
How can such a sincere demon
stration not make an impact on
the millions around the world
who have been waiting for this
message for 2,000 years. It is
only today that this message has
truly a world wide meaning.
Surely these men of good will
will respond to this message and
applaud it. Yes, even inside Rus
sia tnere are minons wno wm
applaud is even though they
cannot answer back, people
whose minds cannot be poisoned
by Communist propaganda, peo
ple who admire the achieve
ments of the U. S. and despise
their dictators.
Recommend Closed
Season Be Continued
Portland
A recommen
dation that a closed season on
the ocean troll salmon fishery
be continued from Dec 20 to
April 15 was made Tuesday at
the annual meeting of the Paci
fic Marine Fisheries Commission
here.
The recommendation was
joined in by research specialists
of state fish bodies of Oregon,
Washington and California. Bi
ologists said stocks of fall Chi
nook salmon have been alarm
ingly lower in recent years and
that steps must be taken to
bring back the runs.
Commercial fishermen have
asked that the ocean troll season
opening be set a month earlier
at March 15. The opening has
been postponed to April 15 for
the past two years to give fall
Chinook a better chance to es
cape to spawning grounds.
Jftazoli
featured at SAFEUflT
n n
...the golden oil
fromgofden corn
Quart Jj
' 1
PROSPECT
Land Purchased For Park
FIRST RUSSIAN JET LANDS
London (IP) Budapest Radio
said today that the first Russian
jet TU-104 airliner has arrived
in the Hungarian capital from
Moscow. The broadcast said the
plane landed Tuesday to inau
gurate a regular weekly sched
ule between the two Communist
cities.
By GENEIL SPRUILL
Prospect The Prospect Lions'
club recently purchased from
Copco 6.47 acres of land for the
purpose of building a commun
ity park. Price for the acreage
was $647. The Prospect Com
munity club donated $200 toward
the purchase of the property.
Gary Powers of Enterprise,
Ore., is a guest at the home of
his brother and sister-in-law, Mr.
and Mrs. Boyd Powers of Pros
pect. . .
The 22-month-old son of Mr.
and Mrs. Russell Burge was
treated at Shady Cove clinic re
cently after the youngster had
poked; a bobby pin into his ear.
It was feared the eardrum had
been punctured but tests proved
otherwise.
Miss Kathleen Snyder, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Sny
der, is convalescing from a tonsillectomy.
Mr. and Mrs. James Herring
ton are the parents of a 7
pounds baby, daughter born to
them Nov. 15 in the Sacred
Heart hospital.Also parents of a
baby daughter are Mr. and Mrs.
William E. Han, former Prospect
residents, now of Shady Cove.
On Nov. 11 Mrs. Nell Goode
celebrated her 72nd birthday.
Mrs. Allen Valentine was hon
ored Wednesday evening with a
stork shower at the home of Mrs.
Lewis Robertson. Mary Ann
Hubbard and Linda Robertson
were co-hostesses.
Mrs. L. E. Clevenberg was
hostess at a luncheon and bridge
party in her home Nov. 14. Those
attending were Mesdames Lou
Rogers, John Gartman, W. W.
Dinkens, Lee Carson, Mel Ro
chester, Steve Larson and Mrs.
Hazel Ulrich.
The junior girls of Prospect
High school held a slumber party
Friday night at the high school
gym. Miss Gould and Miss Pa
tricia Lull were the chaperones
for the evening.
The Pepsters are having a food
sale at the Prospect store Nov.
25. They also plan to have a
candy sale each Tuesday of the
week. The money from the food
sale is to help buy their letters.
Paul Mather -underwent sur
gery for an injured back last
week in a Medford hospital.
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