March 30, 2009

Martian Life May Exist on Earth (Jan, 1932)

Filed under: Space — @ 9:37 pm
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Jan, 1932
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Hard to argue with compelling evidence like that.

Martian Life May Exist on Earth
THAT kinds of life which originated elsewhere in the solar system not only have reached the earth in past ages but still are here in much the same forms as when they arrived is the opinion of a Viennese scientist. Striking evidence is supplied by the bacteria which live in salty, desert regions and develop red colors, like the prevailing red color of the planet Mars.

March 4, 2009

Explosion of Sun Overdue (Apr, 1933)

Filed under: Space — @ 11:21 pm
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Apr, 1933
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Explosion of Sun Overdue

ACCORDING to calculations of astronomers, an explosion of the sun is some 600,000,000 years overdue, assuming that our private star has the same number of outbursts as the average star—which may not necessarily be correct. A definite number of star explosions occur in a definite area of space in a given period, and from these facts it is computed that the average star explodes once in 400,000,000 years.

March 3, 2009

German Telescope is UNIQUE in Design (Aug, 1930)

Filed under: Space — @ 11:08 pm
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Aug, 1930
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Sure, it’s a “telescope”.

German Telescope is UNIQUE in Design

ANEW departure in the way of design and operation of high power telescopes has been effected at the Treptow astronomical observatory, near Berlin, which is one of the best in Germany. Of a design that is distinctly unique—it might be called modernistic—the new mammoth telescope, shown in the photo at the left, has many features that add immensely to the facility of star-gazing.

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February 24, 2009

Tall Periscope Aids Golfers (Dec, 1933)

Filed under: Space — @ 11:36 pm
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Dec, 1933
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Tall Periscope Aids Golfers

A NOVEL “skyscraper” periscope shows golfers the blind fairway at the third hole at the Aberoovey golf course in Wales.

The unusual periscope is 30 feet tall. At the third hole of the course the fairway rises so abruptly from the driving tee that golfers can not see the green even though the hole is only 165 yards long. By peering through the periscope, waiting golfers can see in what direction to drive and also note when the putting green is clear.

The periscope is a hollow wood tube fastened to a pole. The top of the instrument is covered with a gabled roof to protect it from rain.

January 7, 2009

race to the planets (Jul, 1947)

Filed under: Space — @ 12:10 am
Source: Mechanix Illustrated ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Jul, 1947
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race to the planets

BY WILLY LEY

It won’t be long! Earthmen are fast removing all obstacles to me conquest of Interplanetary space* EARTHMEN have set their thoughts on the conquest of space. More than that, they have set their hands to it. In dead earnest they are committed, in both the Old World and the New. It now can definitely be said, the race to the planets is on!

Most experts are agreed that the first unmanned guided missile will strike the Moon some day during the next ten years. The fist manned Moon rocket will probably follow within five years after that. But that trip will not include a landing; it will be merely a trip around the Moon, at a comparatively close but respectful distance, with return to Earth after circling it a few times.

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December 7, 2008

Is Radio Earthbound? (Jun, 1958)

Filed under: Radio, Space — @ 7:42 pm
Source: Popular Electronics ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Jun, 1958
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Is Radio Earthbound?

By D. C. WILKERSON

Can Radio Waves conquer interstellar Space and travel from planet to planet? That is the question the scientists hope to answer with Prof. Goddard’s proposed Moon Rocket, Which will contain a radio transmitter.

HOW IT LOOKED IN 1925

This article was originally published in RADIO NEWS, our sister publication, in March, 1925. It shows that even 33 years ago realistic individuals were thinking ahead on the subject of radio transmission. It is rather amazing that author Willterson predicted the future so well, as evidenced by the fact that we are receiving transmissions from space today. Note the similarity of the rocket conceived by Dr. Goddard back in 1925 (shown on page 52) to a modern rocket, the “Thor” (shown here).
—THE EDITORS

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October 9, 2008

Is There Life On Mars? (Aug, 1956)

Filed under: Space — @ 10:11 pm
Source: Mechanix Illustrated ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Aug, 1956
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Is There Life On Mars?

By G. Harry Stine

Viking-Aerobee Operations Engineer White Sands Proving Ground AT THIS moment the planet Mars is swinging to within 35,400,000 miles of the Earth—about the closest it ever gets—and astronomers the world over are training their telescopes on it. They will be making drawings, photographs, and spectrographs of the surface details in order to find answers to some of the mysteries which surround the sun’s fourth planet.

With the advent of the space travel era almost upon us Mars will be receiving a lot of attention because, after the moon, it is certainly the next target in space for our up and coming space explorers. And there are a number of important questions about that planet which can only be answered by going there.

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September 15, 2008

Whole library in a nutshell (Feb, 1965)

Filed under: Space — @ 10:33 pm
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Feb, 1965
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Whole library in a nutshell
This latest space trick might work well with earthbound libraries. The magnifying viewer on the astronaut’s knee holds 12,000 pages of microfilmed manuals, maps, and navigation data for use in the Apollo lunar spacecraft. The film is coded and indexed so a flip of a switch puts any page on the screen in 15 seconds.

September 8, 2008

METEOR CUTS LIGHT WIRE (Jul, 1931)

Filed under: Space — @ 9:52 pm
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Jul, 1931
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METEOR CUTS LIGHT WIRE

A meteor’s prank recently plunged the town of Herman, Nebr., in darkness. The heavenly missile. falling during the night, clipped a main transmission line. Then it dug a fifteen-inch hole in the ground, where witnesses say it lay spouting flames for hours. Electric repair men hurried to the scene to splice the first recorded break made by a meteor. When the object was recovered, it was found to have been fused into a shape grotesquely resembling a small pig.

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August 24, 2008

Exploring the Moon by Rocket Ship (Aug, 1931)

Filed under: Space — @ 9:21 pm
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Aug, 1931
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Exploring the Moon by Rocket Ship

by ROBERT ESNAULT-PELTERIE as told to ALFRED ALBELLI

Alexander the Great wept because he had no more worlds to conquer, but the modern scientist is more optimistic and plans to conquer worlds situated millions of miles from the earth. In this article a famous French experimenter tells of his problems in building a moon-rocket ship.

Editor’s Note: After 25 years of investigation in aeronautics and astronautics, Esnault-Pelterie has worked out a systematic plan of procedure for making a flight to the moon. He first plans to build a rocket, containing only scientific instruments, that will travel 100 miles into the air, descending by parachute and bring back data of the stratosphere. This he believes will be done in two years.

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August 1, 2008

The WORLD’S BIGGEST EYE (Jun, 1934)

Filed under: Space — @ 10:30 pm
Source: Popular Mechanics ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Jun, 1934
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The WORLD’S BIGGEST EYE

A GROUP of American astronomers soon will experience one of the greatest scientific thrills of the century. On the night the world’s most tremendous telescope is completed they will take turns peering into a tiny, brilliant eyepiece.

Looking at the heavens with the aid of the most extraordinary piece of glass ever poured, they may make discoveries that will completely change man’s conception of the universe.

After years of research the men in charge of building the monster instrument for the California Institute of Technology are now at work. Astronomers estimate that the mirror, 360,000 times more powerful than the human eye, will magnify the moon and planets 10,000 times.

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July 17, 2008

Science Newsfront (Nov, 1970)

Filed under: Computers, Origins, Space — @ 11:23 pm
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Nov, 1970
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Science Newsfront

Last-minute news and notes to keep you up-to-date

By ARTHUR FISHER

NASA fights auto pollution

The big guns of aerospace technology are being enlisted in the battle against the major source of air pollution in this country—automobile exhaust. The mission: to reduce the one-quarter to one-half ton of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons each car spews into the atmosphere in a year, as a result of incomplete fuel combustion. The battle plan: Develop a thermal reactor that would replace the standard exhaust manifold and serve as an afterburner. But such a reactor must withstand temperatures occasionally exceeding 2,000 degrees F, thermal shock from cold starts, and jarring vibrations—all problems routinely encountered in space exploration.

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