2
Preparations
Verne’s crew carry thermometers, barometers, and
telescopes, as well as weapons and “clothing adapted to
every temperature, from that of polar regions to that of
the torrid zone.”5
Observation
“Putting the glass to his eye, Barbicane examined
the clefts for some time. He saw that their banks were
sharp edged and steep... These peculiarities of the
lunar surface had interested the astronomic mind to a
very high degree at their first discovery.”6
Landing
Looking skyward, the crew of the frigate U.S.S.
Susquehanna see “a ball of dazzling brightness, directly
over their heads and evidently falling towards them.”
After the rocket splashes down in the Pacific, the frigate
crew help the astronauts to safety.3
Liftoff
A large cannon was to launch the rocket at seven
miles a second. But Verne’s calculation does not take into
account the resistance of the atmosphere, which in reality
would have torn his spacecraft to pieces.