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[The Blog of Phileas Fogg: 1883 onwards] October 1st 1884

From: Harry Hayfield <harryhayfield~at~googlemail.com>
Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:29:00 -0700 (PDT)
To: jvf~at~gilead.org.il

With Mr. Barbicane having sorted out his miscalculation, the
discussions turned to the question of air. Once the Columbiad was
sealed up (in order to ensure that we all kept safe) we would only have
about 6 to 10 hours of air (clearly not enough to survive a trip into
space), so thanks to the research chemists from the universities in
Oxford, San Francisco and Paris a method of making sure we had enough
air had been devised.

The first thing that has to be done was to replace the absorbed oxygen;
secondly, to
destroy the expired carbonic acid; both easy enough to do, by means of
chlorate of potassium and caustic potash. The former is a salt which
appears under the form of white crystals; when raised to a temperature
of 400 degrees it is transformed into
chlorure of potassium, and the oxygen which it contains is entirely
liberated. Now twenty-eight pounds of chlorate of potassium produces
seven pounds of oxygen, or 2,400 litres-- the quantity necessary for
the travelers during twenty-four hours. Caustic potash has a great
affinity for carbonic acid; and it is sufficient to shake it in order
for it to seize upon the acid and form bicarbonate of potassium. By
these two means they would be enabled to restore to the vitiated air
its life- supporting properties.

Of all which meant that this research had to be tested and that fell to
one of Mr. Barbicane's assistants and today was the big day. Just
before we arrived Mr. Maston (the person in charge of the actual
launch) asked to test the air system and so was sealed into a small
version of the Columbiad with this methodology as his means of support
and at 6.00pm this evening we all gathered to see what the results were
and I have to admit if these were the results I began to wonder to
wonder if travelling into space was such a good thing as somehow or
another he'd managed to gain at least a stone in weight!!!

--
Posted By Harry Hayfield to The Blog of Phileas Fogg: 1883 onwards on
7/13/2009 07:24:00 PM

Received on Mon 13 Jul 2009 - 21:29:08 IDT

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