From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne
"From the Earth to the Moon" is a pioneering science fiction novel by Jules Verne that explores the ambitious attempt to launch a cannon shell to the Moon. The story revolves around Impey Barbicane, the president of the Baltimore Gun Club, comprised of veterans from the Civil War who seek a new purpose after the conflict ends. Inspired by the idea of a lunar mission, Barbicane proposes to construct an enormous cannon named "the Columbiad" to fire a projectile toward the Moon. The project garners international attention and support, leading to extensive planning, funding, and construction efforts.
As the cannon is built in Florida, the narrative introduces Michel Ardan, a French adventurer who proposes to join the journey. He advocates for a redesign of the projectile to improve its shape and functionality, leading to a collaborative spirit among the crew. The novel culminates in the dramatic launch of the Columbiad, which ultimately does not achieve its intended destination and instead enters an orbit around the Moon. The story concludes ambiguously, leaving readers questioning the fate of the travelers and their projectile, reflecting Verne's blend of scientific speculation and imaginative adventure.
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From the Earth to the Moon
First published:De la terre à la lune; trajet direct en 97 heures (1865; English translation, 1869)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—cosmic voyage
Time of work: The 1860s
Locale: Baltimore, Maryland, and Stone Hill, Florida
The Plot
Written early in Jules Verne’s career, From the Earth to the Moon depicts the scheme of Impey Barbicane, president of the Baltimore Gun Club, to hit the Moon with a cannon shell. Five years later, Verne published the eagerly awaited sequel” describing the spaceflight itself—together with the first novel under the new title From the Earth to the Moon Direct in 97 hours 20 minutes and a Trip Around It.
In From the Earth to the Moon, the club members, all of whom are wounded artillerymen of the Civil War, despair because peace has ended their activities. Barbicane’s unprecedented idea of firing a projectile at the Moon restores their sense of purpose. The Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, declares the project practical, and Barbicane outlines its features, including the dimensions of the cannon, the quantity of explosive, and the size and weight of the projectile. Following the clubs approval, he directs its members in drawing up plans for constructing “the Columbiad,” attracting international attention. Captain Nicholl, an armor maker and rival, denounces the project on scientific grounds, although he fails to discourage Barbicane.
On the recommendation of the Observatory, the club must select a site near 28 degrees north latitude and 77 degrees west longitude, with a departure date of December 1 of the next year, in order to aim at the Moon when it is directly overhead and closest to Earth. After choosing Stone Hill, Florida, Barbicane solicits public support and receives donations from around the world. While his workers construct the Columbiad, requiring a hole in the ground 60 feet wide and 900 feet deep, he contracts with a company in Albany, New York, to manufacture an aluminum projectile in the shape of an artillery shell. He also turns funds over to the Observatory for the construction of a telescope at Longs Peak, Colorado, to keep track of it.
Meanwhile, Michel Ardan, a French adventurer, wires Barbicane to request that he replace the spherical design of the projectile with a cylinder topped by a cone and that Barbicane allow him to travel in it. Ardan enthusiastically defends the project and his role in it, gaining the support of Barbicane, the Baltimore Gun Club, and much of the world. Moreover, he prevents a duel between Barbicane and Nicholl by recommending that they both accompany him to the Moon in the redesigned projectile.
With the firing of the Columbiad, human beings leave Earth for interplanetary space. The Longs Peak Observatory determines that the projectile does not hit its target as intended; instead, the Moons gravity sweeps it into an elliptical orbit about 2,833 miles above the surface. The novel ends in doubt as to whether the Moons gravity will draw it to destruction or whether it will orbit forever.