Jules Verne's Lunar Projectile in Orbit — 'Around the Moon' Italian Edition
A conical manned projectile — the audacious 19th-century vision of a space capsule fired from a giant cannon — tumbles through the star-filled void with the cratered lunar surface looming in the upper right. This engraving illustrates Jules Verne's concept of ballistic space travel, predating rocketry by decades. The cylindrical-conical shell features porthole windows and a cushioned base, depicted with striking scientific plausibility for its era, capturing the sublime terror and wonder of weightless drift between worlds.
It's not blood-and-thunder exciting like the penny dreadfuls, but there's something deeply thrilling about seeing that little metal shell hanging alone in all that darkness with the Moon right there. Makes you feel like you could really do it someday!
“166 INTORNO ALLA LUNA. La Terra non contava che un giorno essendo stata nuova la vigilia a mezzanotte. Dovevano scorrere ancora due giorni innanzi che la sua falciuola uscendo dai raggi solari potesse”
