even outrated "Disciples of Destiny." Don't let go of Irwin.
"Convoy in Space," "Robotcycle for Two," and "Giants Beyond Pluto" all tied for fourth. All swell stories.
"The Love Song of Lancelot Biggs" fifth. Bond seldom writes a lemon.
"Vengeance on Venus"—passable.
"Captain Stinky"—no comment.
Thomas Regan, Jr.,
138 Townsend St.,
New Brunswick, N. Y.
P. S.—Back cover, what an improvement. Wow!
We had been of the opinion that rocket ships and ray guns were SF. Thus we felt the September cover was something besides adventure. Anyway, we are glad to know you think it was good.—Ed.
AT ODDS WITH LEY
Sirs:
The article, "Jupiter, the Giant World," in the September issue of A.S. is truly amazing, amazing because it ignores some well-known facts of physics. For example, Mr. Ley states that a weight of a ton placed on a spring balance on Jupiter would show 2.584 tons. Mr. Ley should have stated whether this spring balance is at the equator, near one of the polar regions, or at an average point between. Ignoring centrifugal force of a huge sphere whirling at such a rapid rate (since this is a spring balance), it seems to me that a 7 percent depression (3000 miles) at the poles ought to render the last one or two decimal places somewhat uncertain. Just what is this difference in gravity between the equator and the poles? That a difierence exists is quite apparent.
Mr. Ley also states: "There was poisonous methane in the air, but also on the ground." By methane, does Mr. Ley mean marsh gas (CH₄, the carburetted hydrogen of miners? I have worked in mines, and with a million other miners have breathed this gas, often in "firedamp" concentrations. This is the first I have heard of its being poisonous. (Or does one need to eat it to get poisoned?)
Jupiter's low specific gravity (1.3) is the most impressive fact that Mr. Ley mentions. Yet he fails to enlarge upon it. To me, this low density is proof that the actual solid globe of Jupiter is much smaller than the 81,000-87,000 miles in diameter usually given. Even assuming that the solid part of the planet is composed of the lightest of solid or liquid materials (water/ice, alumina, silica, ammonia, dry ice, etc.) the solid globe could hardly be two-thirds the accepted diameter—unless it was hollow.
May I point out that the mean specific gravity of the earth is close to an average of its common constituents such as iron, and the other metals on the one hand and the oxides—including alumina and water—on the other. By this same reasoning, Jupiter is hardly likely to contain much of
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