MESSAGES TO MARS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10659, 12 May 1906, Page 5 (Supplement)

MESSAGES TO MARS.

MARCONI SAYS WE SHALL SEND THEM IN A FEW YEARS.

In ten years, probably much less, the world will be able to send messages to Mars directly arid unhesitatingly, with-, out- a hitch or a stop oi< a word 'lost m space. Such is the opinion of.GugJielmo Marconi. If, ho says, there existed any accurate knowledge m relation to the possibility of Mars being populated by intelligent beings, and if there 'existed a commercial necessity tor communication with that planet, and if such communication could be coined into profits for a commercial organisation, I am certain that the attempt would be made m even less time than 1 have iudicated.

Tnttt it is possiDie to transmit signals to Mars I know as 6urely as if I had a gun big enough or powder strong enough to shoot there — more surely, iv fact, ior a, gun might miss the mark, while my wireless mestage will strike the entire solar sy-ttm without aiming. Attempts to communicate with that planet m the absence of any certain information that there are inhabitants there of sufficient intelligence to recognise our signals as such, and with knowledge sufficient to enable them to translate such signals into their own language, if they puestas a. language, would be without any certainty of ; results.

Mars and our earth lie m the same great unbroken bed of ether. We know tin's because all night long the beams of the sun reflected from Mars' red surface stream down the astronomer's telescope. During tho past few montlis wireless telegraphy has progressed with such tremendous aiid . gratifying strides that one might venture almost anything for it, and yet be within the bounds of possibility and even probability. ." If we are able to send signals through space over such intervening obstacles as mountains, forests, cities, liberating vast quantities of electricity, and yet 6afely deliver them at the point of reception undisturbed and unconfuscd, it follows as a natural deduction that it is merely a question of. commanding' sufficient power to set up the necessary disturbances m the other where there are no obstructions intervening to send signals to even so distant a point as Mars. If Mars answers, and tells us liis history, then, for tne first time on earth, imagination and discovery will be of little use to humanity iv tine face of the flood of. actual information which will roll m as fast as our intelligence can. comprehend it. " Had anyone, m his sober senses predicted a generation ago that Europe and America would to-day be communicating with each other without any material, agency between the sending and receiving points he would have been adjudged insane, or would have been ignored as" a crank. Yet to-day wireless telegraphy lias progressed to such an extent that it is actually accomplishing that very thing. Why, then, should it appear preposterous to venture that within a decade, or even half the time, wireless instruments will be so developed and perfected that, it will be -possible-, to transmit a message, through 50,000,000 miles of space? It is noe only possible, but very probable. It may occur to -some people that Mars may not be habited by intelligent creatures who could understand or answer us 'As "answer:- to this I refer to Professor Lowell,, ah astronomer, of distinction and standing m his profession. Only very recently ho succeeded m "photographing the so-called Martian canals. From their 6traightness he is certain they are not natural, but the- results of intelligent beings. Their stupendous size, he asserts,. proves that the diggers are not only creatures of great size and strength, but, infinitely further advanced m the; use of mechanical devices. Such beings,' could most easily and quickly communicate their answers to our planet. Mars must be all eyes and nerves.