New worlds waiting: the unknown world

In this second program of a three-part series, astronomical historian and lecturer John Williams Streeter describes Venus as the morning and evening star and tells the viewers when and where to observe it. He gives the planet's distance from sun and earth, its solar orbiting time, its measurements, and its mass, density, and surface gravity and then announces, "That's all we know." A brief history of the astronomers who made telescopic observations and early drawings of Venus include Galileo in 1609, Francesco Fontana in 1645, Gian Domenico Cassini in 1666, Francesco Bianchini, William Herschel, and Johann Schroter in 1788. Mr. Streeter says that Venus apparently has an atmosphere because it reflects sunlight and thus must be covered by dense white clouds. Venus's atmosphere was first thought to be like that of the carboniferous period on earth, but a subsequent spectroscopic study showed nothing but carbon dioxide, permitting no life as we know it. However, the Venusian ocean may support one-celled animals. Mr. Streeter describes the history of speculated life on Venus and shows early sketches of Venusians. Film clips show the 1959 balloon and gondola designed by Johns Hopkins University's Dr. John Strong and piloted by Navy commander Malcolm Ross. It rose to an altitude of 80,000, and its spectroscopic data, analyzed by physicist Charles Moore, showed measurable water vapor on Venus. In order for a rocket to reach Venus, Mr. Streeter predicts, it would launch from the moon, choose a route requiring the least fuel, and not reach its destination for over two years.