A free flight in 2222

A free flight by Hans Dominik in 2222 is a technical-scientific future story. It appeared in 1934 in the annual book series: " The New Universe ". (55th year, pages 1–24)

Content short

This story describes a trip around the moon in a rocket ship. A boy wins a free flight around the moon in a raffle .

Content, detailed

Like some others, the story begins (see also “ The food of the future ”) in a school, where the teacher asks his students what they are about to be taught. The action begins with questions about the history of transport. ( Rocket Science , Prof. Hermann Oberth , the Hans Dominik dear, one of the foremost pioneers of space travel - science . And missile technology)

The father of a schoolboy was the first mate on a large rocket ship that maintained communications between Earth and Venus . (Hans Dominik sees, from the perspective of 1934, the USA in a war with Japan in 1975; the event actually took place in 1941. ) For Dominik the oxygen-hydrogen rockets of H. Oberth were the Possibility of bridging large distances. (1980 rocket technology for the transport of mail, 1990 rocket technology for the transport of people.) The pupil is then asked who has won a free flight around the moon in a raffle . (Dominik sees the further development in rocket technology in nuclear propulsion around 2050.)

A third student is supposed to provide more information about the drive in a nuclear- powered rocket. This is operated via so-called propulsion surfaces, they are covered with a newly discovered element (marius), during the decay process of which the atoms are shot down in a directed manner. This means that the new missile type is 3 million times as effective as the old one with an oxygen-hydrogen propulsion system. The future of space travel is also briefly listed.

The age of great discoveries begins in 2060.
2061 moon landing - Dominik was wrong about 90 years.
2062 space travel to Venus, 2063 flight to Mars - mankind was also much faster there.
2065 landing on Venus. There was a dispute between the United States and Spain over who should take possession of Venus. The League of Nations decided half, half. Discovery of the new planet Norge - discovered by Norway. Fly rocket ships very close to the sun to do research.
Space flights will begin from Mars between the years 2080-2140.
2084 first circumnavigation of Jupiter .
2095 circumnavigation of Saturn .
2116 Circumnavigation of Uranus .
2132 Circumnavigation of Neptune .
In 2162, the first attempts to leave our solar system with spaceships and head for the neighboring solar systems began (Alpha tauri - probably the star closest to the Sun Alpha Centauri or Toliman in the Centaur (constellation) is meant), but with great losses for mankind - one suspects space radiation which severely damages the nervous system - H. Dominik predicted something here, which is really a problem in manned space travel . One tries to get the space radiation problem under control with special alloys made of metal ; this was first tested on animals.

There is already speculation as to which planets would be considered for colonization by humans, so only the planets Mars and Venus are considered. (Criteria are, for example, length of day, atmosphere , climate , water and living beings .)

Furthermore, the theory of relativity is addressed: While z. B. A spaceman to Alpha tauri and back at almost the speed of light would need about 3 months, on earth about 9 years would pass, which means that the time is only relative, the time is given a correction coefficient that decreases with increasing speed becomes and becomes imaginary at the speed of light.

The two students (one of them is the son of the helmsman of the rocket ship) talk and then think about what happens if the father flies to Alpha tauri several times: At some point the father would be younger than the son. Then the other student tells about his win of the free flight around the moon and that he is very happy because it is the new moon , the other side of the moon is illuminated, but the moon is just barren and empty.