Some American men of science have apparently decided to fire
a rocket at the moon. The rocket will contain a group of charges, which will be fired auto- matically in succession at regular intervals so that the rocket will continually acquire a fresh momentum. It is calculated that the rocket ought to reach the moon thirty-six hours after leaving the earth. That requires a calculation of the exact position the moon will occupy at the time the hit is expected. There is no difficulty in that, but it is indeed a case of aiming well ahead of the bird. A flash will be caused on impact with the moon, which it is reckoned ought to be seen through a 12 in. telescope. As the famous Smithsonian Institute is backing the scheme, people ought perhaps to take it a little more seriously than they were at first inclined to do.
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