De la terre à la lune, trajet direct en 97 heures 20 minutes

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

38674

Title

De la terre à la lune, trajet direct en 97 heures 20 minutes

Language

fr

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Set in post-Civil War America, this science fiction classic follows the Gun-Club of Baltimore, a society of artillery enthusiasts obsessed with perfecting cannons. After the war ends, they decide to launch a massive iron projectile to the Moon. The narrative details the engineering feats of digging a nine-hundred-foot shaft and melting sixty thousand tons of iron, culminating in a historic launch that unexpectedly turns the projectile into a new satellite orbiting the lunar surface.

Summary up to 500 words

Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, Jules Verne's *From the Earth to the Moon* chronicles the audacious ambitions of the Gun-Club in Baltimore. Led by the visionary President Barbicane and the enthusiastic J.-T. Maston, the club consists largely of war veterans, many bearing the scars of battle with prosthetic limbs. Following the war's end and the cessation of hostilities, these men, deprived of a purpose, dedicate their immense engineering talents to a singular, colossal project: launching an iron projectile to the Moon. The narrative meticulously details the monumental engineering feats required for this endeavor. The team constructs the Columbiad, a massive cannon, at Stone's-Hill, Florida. The construction involves digging a nine-hundred-foot shaft, managing complex water tables, and melting sixty thousand tons of iron in twelve hundred furnaces. The process is fraught with danger and difficulty, requiring the utmost precision and human ingenuity. After months of grueling preparation, the projectile is finally launched on December 12. However, the shot does not crash into the lunar surface as initially hoped. Instead, it passes close enough to be captured by the Moon's gravity. Rather than falling, the projectile enters an elliptical orbit, becoming a new artificial satellite of the Moon. Trapped inside with two other passengers, the trio must rely on their scientific knowledge to survive indefinitely. The story concludes with the realization that humanity has successfully placed a man-made object in orbit around the Moon. This achievement marks a monumental leap in human capability, opening new frontiers for exploration and proving that the laws of physics can be mastered to reach the stars.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

Download URL

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38674.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg38674.epub

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Categories

• Adventure
• Science Fiction