Greenhouses in Orbit

— Ну, господа, довольно побаловались и покапризничали; приступим же к делу, пока запасы наши еще далеки от истощения, предложил собранию Ньютон.

— Well, gentlemen, we have played about and been capricious enough; let us set to business while our stores are still far from exhaustion, proposed Newton to the gathering.

“Well, gentlemen, we have had enough of fooling around and being fussy,” Newton1 told the meeting. “Let us get down to business while our supplies are still far from running out.”

1. Most of Tsiolkovsky’s travelers bear the names of famous scientists: the Englishman Newton, the Frenchman Laplace, the American Franklin. Ivanov, a Russian, is the story’s own inventor of the rocket.

— Вы видите, продолжал он, — на одной стороне ракеты, вдоль ее, множество окон. Если открыть все ставни, то получится площадь стекол, длиною в 80 метров и шириною в 4 метра (одна треть окружности ракеты). Нет надобности, пока, в таком обилии солнечных лучей. Оно оказалось бы и невыносимо: сделалось бы черезчур жарко и утомительно светло для глаз. Эта масса света, с площадью в 320 квадр. метров, что составит 16 кв. метров на человека, может, при помощи особых растений, дать нам немало кислорода и продуктов питания в виде плодов, содержащих крахмал, сахар, масла, азотистые и ароматические вещества.

— You see, he continued, — on one side of the rocket, along it, [there are] many windows. If [one] opens all the shutters, there will result an area of glass 80 meters long and 4 meters wide (one third of the circumference of the rocket). There is no need, for now, of such an abundance of sun rays. It would even prove unbearable: it would become too hot and tiringly bright for the eyes. This mass of light, with an area of 320 square meters, which makes 16 sq. meters per person, can, with the help of special [particular?] plants, give us no little oxygen and food products in the form of fruits containing starch, sugar, oils, nitrogenous and aromatic substances.

“You see,” he went on, “there are many windows along one side of the rocket. If we open all the shutters, we get an area of glass 80 meters long and 4 meters wide, one-third of the way around the rocket. For now we do not need so much sunlight. In fact it would be unbearable: too hot, and so bright it would tire our eyes. But this mass of light covers 320 square meters, or 16 square meters per person.2 With the help of special plants, it can give us plenty of oxygen. It can also give us food, in the form of fruit that contains starch, sugar, oils, and nitrogen-rich and fragrant substances.”

2. Twenty people are aboard: the four scientists and sixteen craftsmen.

— Наш запас пищевых материалов, если и не останется целым, то, по крайней мере, будет расходоваться в несколько раз медленнее, добавил Иванов...

— Our store of food materials, if it does not remain whole, then at least will be spent several times more slowly, added Ivanov...

“Even if our food supply does not stay untouched, at least we will use it up several times more slowly,” added Ivanov.

Выделения легких, кожи, почек и т. д поглощались в особых сосудах и составляли прекрасную пищу для растений. Семена их были посажены в ящики с почвой, удобренной этими выделениями. Когда семена пустили ростки, сосуды с ними были выставлены на свет, ставни же все более и более открывались. Необыкновенная сила солнечного света, не ослабленного толстым слоем земной атмосферы, непрерывное его действие, вертикальные лучи, отсутствие вредителей, наиболее благоприятные условия влажности и атмосферы,—сделали чудеса: не прошло и месяца, как маленькие растения были сплошь увешаны сочными, питательными и ароматическими плодами. Цветение было роскошно, оплодотворение — искусственно. Тяжести не было, веточки свободно распространялись и плоды их не отягчали и не гнули. Когда листва сделалась густа и почти заслонила окна, можно было оставить только слой кварца, стеклянные же пластинки с окон устранить. Тогда развитие растений под влиянием обилия ультрафиолетовых (химических) лучей пошло вдвое скорее. Но все же плодов не вполне хватило для питания, да и запасенный кислород понемногу приходилось расходовать для дыхания. Однако дела были так хороши, что решено было устроить со временем оранжерею вне ракеты, чтобы вполне удовлетвориться и совсем не нуждаться в запасах; стать, так сказать, на свои ноги.

The excretions of the lungs, skin, kidneys, etc. were absorbed in special vessels and made excellent food for plants. Their seeds were planted in boxes with soil fertilized with these excretions. When the seeds put out shoots, the vessels with them were set out in the light, and the shutters were opened more and more. The extraordinary strength of the sunlight, not weakened by the thick layer of the earth’s atmosphere, its uninterrupted action, the vertical rays, the absence of pests, the most favorable conditions of humidity and atmosphere — worked wonders: not a month had passed before the little plants were solidly hung with juicy, nourishing and aromatic fruits. The flowering was luxuriant, the fertilization [pollination] — artificial. There was no heaviness [gravity], the twigs spread freely and their fruits did not weigh them down and did not bend [them]. When the foliage became thick and almost screened the windows, it was possible to leave only the layer of quartz and to remove the glass plates from the windows. Then the development of the plants under the influence of the abundance of ultraviolet (chemical) rays went twice as fast. But all the same the fruits did not fully suffice for nourishment, and the stored oxygen too had to be spent little by little for breathing. However, things were so good that it was decided to set up in time a greenhouse outside the rocket, so as to be fully satisfied and not need stores at all; to stand, so to speak, on [their] own feet.

What the lungs, skin, kidneys, and so on gave off was taken up in special containers, and it made excellent food for plants. Seeds were planted in boxes of soil fertilized with this waste. When the seeds sprouted, the boxes were set out in the light, and the shutters were opened wider and wider. The sunlight here was extraordinarily strong, for no thick layer of Earth’s air weakened it. It shone without a break, and its rays fell straight on the plants. There were no pests, and the moisture and air were just right. All this worked wonders. In less than a month the little plants were hung all over with juicy, nourishing, fragrant fruit. They flowered richly and were pollinated by hand. Since nothing had weight, the twigs spread freely, and the fruit did not weigh them down or bend them. When the leaves grew thick and almost covered the windows, the panes of glass could be taken out, leaving only a layer of quartz. Then the plants grew twice as fast in the abundant ultraviolet, or “chemical,” rays.3 Still, the fruit was not quite enough to live on, and the stored oxygen still had to be used, little by little, for breathing. But things went so well that they decided to build a greenhouse outside the rocket in time. Then they would be fully supplied and need no stores at all. They would stand on their own feet, so to speak.

3. Ultraviolet light was discovered in 1801 through its chemical action on silver salts; Tsiolkovsky also calls it “chemical rays.” In the story, quartz lets it through better than glass.

Новое собрание открылось речью Ньютона о положении дел.

A new meeting opened with a speech of Newton on the state of affairs.

A new meeting opened with a speech by Newton on how things stood.

— Вот, господа, начал он,—прошу внимание к нашим житейским делам... Запасов становится все меньше и меньше. Они обращаются в удобрение для растений, но фруктов и овощей произрастает недостаточно, чтобы использовать все удобрения. Размеры ракеты для этого маловаты. Надо пристроить к ней, к ракете, оранжерею. Тогда еще просторнее будет гулять, не надевая скафандр. Тогда не придется более расходовать запасов кислорода и пищи: избыток растений нам даст, и то и другое. Все наши выделения и отбросы также целиком будут поглощаться. Мы будем брать от растений столько же, сколько и давать им. Запасы беречь тоже не будет надобности: мы с ними распростимся и будем довольствоваться углеродистыми и азотистыми веществами плодов. При нашей легкой жизни, отсутствии тяжелых трудов, тридцати градусной температуре, это даже будет полезно и необходимо.

— Now, gentlemen, he began, — I ask attention to our everyday affairs... The stores become less and less. They turn into fertilizer for the plants, but fruits and vegetables grow insufficiently to use all the fertilizers. The size of the rocket is a little small for this. [We] must build onto it, onto the rocket, a greenhouse. Then it will be even roomier to walk about without putting on a space suit. Then [we] will no longer have to spend stores of oxygen and food: the surplus of plants will give us both the one and the other. All our excretions and refuse will also be wholly absorbed. We will take from the plants as much as we give them. There will also be no need to save the stores: we will say goodbye to them and content ourselves with the carbonaceous and nitrogenous substances of the fruits. With our easy life, the absence of heavy labors, a thirty-degree temperature, this will even be useful and necessary.

“Now, gentlemen,” he began, “I ask you to turn to our everyday affairs. Our stores are getting smaller and smaller. They are turning into fertilizer for the plants, but not enough fruit and vegetables are growing to use all of it. The rocket is too small for that. We must build a greenhouse onto it, onto the rocket. Then we will have even more room to stroll without putting on space suits. Then we will no longer have to spend our stores of oxygen and food: the extra plants will give us both. All our waste and refuse will be taken up completely, too. We will take from the plants just as much as we give them. We will not need to save our stores either. We will say goodbye to them and live on the carbon and nitrogen compounds in the fruit. With our easy life, with no hard labor, and at a temperature of thirty degrees,4 that will even be healthy and necessary.”

4. Thirty degrees Celsius, about 86°F, the warmth the travelers keep in the rocket.

— Не лучше ли эти оранжереи устраивать отдельно от ракеты, заметил Лаплас. Растения не требуют такой массы газов, такого давления среды, как мы, люди. Атмосфера для растений также особая, специальная, с избытком углекислоты, влажности и т. д. Все это не соответствует людям. Размеры оранжерей могут ограничиться трубой с диаметром в 2 метра, лишь бы мог пролетать свободно садовод, чтобы собирать плоды и позаботиться о них. Это и малая плотность окружающей их газообразной среды, даст возможность чрезвычайно с‘экономить строительный материал, запасы которого у нас не безграничны.

— Would it not be better to set up these greenhouses separately from the rocket, remarked Laplace. Plants do not require such a mass of gases, such a pressure of the medium, as we, people. The atmosphere for plants is also particular, special, with an excess of carbonic acid [carbon dioxide], humidity, etc. All this does not suit people. The size of the greenhouses can be limited to a tube with a diameter of 2 meters, so long as the gardener could fly through freely to gather the fruits and take care of them. This and the small density of the gaseous medium surrounding them will make it possible to economize extremely on building material, the stores of which are not unlimited with us.

“Wouldn’t it be better to build these greenhouses apart from the rocket?” said Laplace. “Plants do not need as much gas, or as much pressure, as we people do. Plants also need an air of their own, with extra carbon dioxide, moisture, and so on. None of that suits people. The greenhouses need be no bigger than a tube 2 meters across, just wide enough for a gardener to fly through freely to pick the fruit and tend the plants. That, and the thin gas around the plants, will save a great deal of building material. Our supply of it is not unlimited.”

— Конечно, так, согласился Ньютон,—у нас кажется и части оранжерей почти готовы и приспособлены именно к такому взгляду на вещи. Простора же и в ракете вполне достаточно, а мало—никто не мешает нам гулять в скафандрах на сотни верст кругом. Да и сама ракета благодаря взрывным трубам и громадному запасу взрывчатых веществ может удаляться от Земли и путешествовать куда захочется: на Луну—так на Луну, к астероидам—так к астероидам... И сейчас она гуляет и показывает нам картины земли одна красивее другой... Так что и без того мы непрерывно путешествуем... Оранжерею мы соединим с нашей ракетой двумя тонкими трубками: одна будет удалять из ракеты в оранжерею накопившийся углекислый газ и другие человеческие выделения, а другая будет доставлять в ракету свежий кислород и озон, вырабатываемый растениями. Нельзя обойтись при этом без насосов; но у нас тут прекрасно работают солнечные двигатели, запасенные еще на Земле.

— Of course, so, agreed Newton, — we, it seems, have even the parts of greenhouses almost ready and adapted precisely to such a view of things. And of room there is quite enough even in the rocket, and if little — no one prevents us from walking in space suits for hundreds of versts around. And the rocket itself, thanks to the explosion tubes and the huge store of explosive substances, can go away from the Earth and travel wherever it pleases: to the Moon — so to the Moon, to the asteroids — so to the asteroids... And now too it strolls and shows us pictures of the earth, one more beautiful than another... So that even without that we travel continually... We will connect the greenhouse with our rocket by two thin tubes: one will remove from the rocket into the greenhouse the accumulated carbonic gas and other human excretions, and the other will deliver into the rocket fresh oxygen and ozone produced by the plants. One cannot do without pumps here; but we have here the solar motors, stored up while still on Earth, working excellently.

“Quite right,” Newton agreed. “I believe we already have greenhouse parts almost ready, built for exactly that plan. As for room, there is plenty in the rocket. And if it is not enough, nothing stops us from strolling in space suits for hundreds of versts5 around. The rocket itself, with its explosion tubes6 and its huge store of explosives, can leave Earth and travel wherever we like: to the Moon, if we like, or to the asteroids. Even now it is out for a stroll, showing us views of Earth, each more beautiful than the last. So we are traveling all the time anyway. We will connect the greenhouse to our rocket with two thin pipes. One will carry the carbon dioxide and other human waste that builds up in the rocket out to the greenhouse. The other will bring fresh oxygen and ozone7 made by the plants into the rocket. We cannot do this without pumps. But we have solar engines here, brought from Earth, and they work beautifully.”

5. An old Russian measure of distance, about 1.07 kilometers (two-thirds of a mile).
6. The tubes in which the rocket’s fuel explodes. In the story it is driven by two liquids, discovered by Franklin, that explode little by little as they mix.
7. A form of oxygen. Around 1900 many people believed it made the air of forests, mountains, and seashores fresh and healthy, and that plants gave it off.

— Уход за растениями, сказал Франклин,—тут изумительно легок. Почва прожжена и обезврежена от сорных трав, вредных бактерий и паразитов. Полезные же бактерии, напр. для стручковых, мы сами насаждаем. Значит, не приходится полоть или вырывать негодные травы; но надо наблюдать за подходящим составом почвы, влаги и газообразной среды.

— Care of the plants, said Franklin, — is here astonishingly easy. The soil is burned through and rendered harmless of weeds, harmful bacteria and parasites. Useful bacteria, e.g. for the podded [legumes], we plant ourselves. So, [one] does not have to weed or pull out worthless grasses; but [one] must watch over the suitable composition of soil, moisture and gaseous medium.

“Caring for the plants here is wonderfully easy,” said Franklin. “The soil has been baked to kill weeds, harmful bacteria, and parasites. We add the useful bacteria ourselves, for example those for peas and beans.8 So there is no weeding or pulling up of useless plants. But we must make sure that the soil, the moisture, and the gases are mixed just right.”

8. Bacteria that live in swellings on the roots of peas, beans, and their relatives and turn nitrogen from the air into plant food.

Состав жидкости или почвы для растений делается перед самой посадкой; почва увлажняется насосами автоматически. Они всасывают и посылают воду, которая собирается сама собою ожижением водяного пара в особых, наиболее холодных частях ракеты. Оплодотворение цветов совершается почти моментально воздуходувкою. Атмосфера образуется дыханием людей. Наконец, плоды без всяких болячек свободно распространяются во все стороны, не обременяя стеблей, так как тяжести нет.

The composition of the liquid or soil for plants is made just before planting; the soil is moistened by pumps automatically. They suck in and send on water, which collects by itself through the liquefaction of water vapor in special, the coldest parts of the rocket. The fertilization of flowers is done almost instantly by an air-blower. The atmosphere is formed by the breathing of people. Finally, fruits without any sores [blemishes] spread freely in all directions, not burdening the stems, since there is no heaviness.

The liquid or soil for the plants is mixed just before planting, and pumps keep it moist automatically. They draw in water and send it on. The water collects by itself, as water vapor condenses in special parts of the rocket, the coldest ones. The flowers are pollinated almost instantly with a blower. People’s breathing makes the plants’ air. And the fruit, free of any blemish, spreads freely in all directions without straining the stems, for there is no weight.

— А не придется ли нам вылетать наружу для этих отдельных сооружений, спросил один из мастеров.

— And will we not have to fly out outside for these separate structures, asked one of the craftsmen.

“Won’t we have to fly outside for these separate buildings?” asked one of the craftsmen.

— Обязательно, сказал Ньютон,—разве вам это не нравится?

— Certainly, said Newton, — is it that you do not like this?

“Certainly,” said Newton. “Don’t you like that?”

— Напротив, — мне очень хочется погулять вне ракеты: я еще там не был, возразил тот же голос.

— On the contrary, — I very much want to walk outside the rocket: I have not yet been there, objected the same voice.

“Just the opposite! I very much want to go for a walk outside the rocket. I haven’t been out there yet,” the same voice replied.

— Мы там будем при работах, сказал Иванов;—придется также, для собирания плодов и ухода за ними, часто посещать новую оранжерею в скафандрах, так как давление газа в ней не будет достаточно и атмосфера не будет приспособлена для дыхания человека.

— We will be there during the works, said Ivanov; — [we] will also have, for gathering the fruits and caring for them, often to visit the new greenhouse in space suits, since the pressure of gas in it will not be sufficient and the atmosphere will not be adapted for the breathing of a man.

“We will be out there while we build it,” said Ivanov. “And we will often have to visit the new greenhouse in space suits, to pick the fruit and tend the plants. The gas pressure inside will not be high enough, and the air will not be fit for people to breathe.”

Через несколько часов начали постройку оранжереи. Распаковали запасные части, состоящие главным образом из цилиндрических тонких плиток особого, крепкого и упругого стекла, со вплавленной внутрь его квадратной проволочной сеткой. Были сферические части, были совсем готовые металлические приспособления и чисто металлические, очень тонкие листы. Все материалы понемногу проталкивались в особую камеру, из нее выкачивали воздух, а затем, отворяли люк наружу и выталкивали их в эфирное пространство. Крупные детали просто привязывались к ракете, более мелкие помещались в особой проволочной сферической клетке, которая выдвинута была заранее из ракеты. Там эти материалы бродили, как звери из угла в угол и долго не могли успокоиться. Клетка, конечно, была привязана к ракете и имела затворяющееся отверстие. Заранее нумерованные элементы в несколько часов были прилажены друг к другу десятью мастерами, вылезшими из ракеты, как было описано. Сначала они как бы оцепенели, делали неловкие движения, но скоро опомнились и принялись за дело, комично-опасливо посматривая по сторонам и под ноги, где зияла бездна. Работа была очень легкая: как бы ни была массивна часть, для передвижения ее не требовалось ни малейшего усилия; едва-едва соединенные детали не расходились, не падали, не уклонялись и не гнулись от тяжести, как бы громадны, тонки и слабы не были. Распоряжался старшой. Натянутые между их скафандрами упругие нити позволяли им прекрасно говорить самым обыкновенным образом друг с другом — даже всем зараз, хотя из этого, как и всегда, получалась бестолковщина. Колебательное движение начиналось в глотке, передавалось воздухом шлема скафандре, потом нити и, наконец, через нить, несмотря на окружающую пустоту, другой скафандре.

After several hours [they] began the construction of the greenhouse. [They] unpacked the spare parts, consisting mainly of cylindrical thin plates of a special, strong and elastic glass with a square wire mesh fused inside it. There were spherical parts, there were quite ready metal fittings and purely metal, very thin sheets. All the materials were little by little pushed into a special chamber, from it the air was pumped out, and then [they] opened the hatch to the outside and pushed them out into ether space. The large parts were simply tied to the rocket, the smaller were placed in a special wire spherical cage, which had been pushed out beforehand from the rocket. There these materials wandered like beasts from corner to corner and for a long time could not calm down. The cage, of course, was tied to the rocket and had a closable opening. The elements, numbered beforehand, were fitted to one another in a few hours by ten craftsmen who had climbed out of the rocket, as was described. At first they as if went numb, made awkward movements, but soon came to themselves and set to work, comically-fearfully glancing to the sides and under [their] feet, where the abyss yawned. The work was very light: however massive a part was, for its moving not the slightest effort was required; barely-barely joined parts did not come apart, did not fall, did not deviate and did not bend from weight, however huge, thin and weak they were. The foreman [starshoi] gave orders. Elastic threads stretched between their space suits allowed them to talk excellently in the most ordinary way with one another — even all at once, though from this, as always, there resulted a muddle. The vibratory motion began in the throat, was passed by the air of the helmet to the space suit, then to the thread and, finally, through the thread, in spite of the surrounding emptiness, to the other space suit.

A few hours later they began building the greenhouse. They unpacked the spare parts. Most were thin curved plates of a special strong, springy glass with a square wire mesh melted into it. There were round parts too, metal fittings ready to use, and very thin sheets of plain metal. All the materials were pushed a few at a time into a special chamber. The air was pumped out of it, and then the hatch to the outside was opened and the materials were pushed out into the ether.9 The large pieces were simply tied to the rocket. The smaller ones were put in a round wire cage that had been pushed out of the rocket beforehand. In there the materials roamed from corner to corner like caged animals and took a long time to settle down. The cage, of course, was tied to the rocket and had an opening that could be closed. The pieces had been numbered in advance, and in a few hours ten craftsmen, who had climbed out of the rocket as described before, fitted them together. At first they seemed frozen stiff and moved awkwardly. But they soon pulled themselves together and set to work, glancing around and under their feet, where the abyss yawned, in a comically nervous way. The work was very easy. However massive a part was, it took no effort at all to move it. Pieces that were barely joined did not come apart, fall, sag, or bend under their weight, however huge, thin, and flimsy they were. The foreman gave the orders. Springy threads stretched between the men’s space suits let them talk to one another perfectly well, in the most ordinary way. They could even all talk at once, though that, as always, turned into a muddle. The vibration began in a man’s throat. The air in his helmet passed it to his suit, the suit passed it to the thread, and the thread carried it, in spite of the emptiness all around, to the other suit.10

9. Physicists of the nineteenth century held that all space was filled with the ether, an invisible, weightless medium that carried light. Here “the ether” means outer space.
10. Sound cannot cross empty space, so in the story the space suits are linked by taut threads that carry the vibrations of speech.

Скоро закончили сварку, испытали ее непроницаемость, заварили оказавшиеся щели и дыры, еще испытали, еще поработали и, в конце концов, убедились в полной непроницаемости оболочки оранжереи для паров и газов. Получилась цилиндрическая труба, длиною в 500 метров, с поперечником в 2 метра. Во всю длину ее было огромное окно, занимавшее в поперечном направлении треть окружности трубы. Если ее вообразить горизонтальной, то ширина окна составляла бы 500 метров, а высота около двух. Несмотря на размеры, эта труба была не очень массивна, крепка, гибка и мало разрушаема. Если и можно было разбить стекло с большим трудом, то это еще не сопровождалось утечкой газа; так как вплавленная, прочная металлическая решетка не давала ему возможности распадаться на куски; едва же заметные трещины почти не могли выпускать газ. От ударов же стенка только подавалась и упруго колебалась. Близ готовой оболочки, в своих скафандрах, мастера суетились, шныряли взад и вперед, сталкивались, от чего иногда забавно вертелись, но солидно задерживали вращение и любовались своим произведением со всех сторон и на разных расстояниях.

Soon [they] finished the welding, tested its impermeability, welded up the slits and holes that turned up, tested again, worked again and, in the end, became convinced of the full impermeability of the greenhouse shell to vapors and gases. There resulted a cylindrical tube 500 meters long with a diameter of 2 meters. Along its whole length there was a huge window, occupying in the transverse direction a third of the circumference of the tube. If [one] imagines it horizontal, the width of the window would be 500 meters and the height about two. In spite of the dimensions, this tube was not very massive, strong, flexible and little destructible. If it was possible to break the glass with great difficulty, this still was not accompanied by a leak of gas, since the fused-in, strong metal grating did not give it the possibility to fall apart into pieces; the barely noticeable cracks almost could not let out gas. From blows the wall only gave and oscillated elastically. Near the finished shell, in their space suits, the craftsmen bustled, darted back and forth, collided, from which they sometimes amusingly spun, but solidly [gravely] checked the rotation and admired their work from all sides and at various distances.

Soon they finished the welding. They tested whether it was airtight and welded shut the cracks and holes they found. They tested again and worked some more, and at last they were sure the greenhouse shell let no vapor or gas through. The result was a tube 500 meters long and 2 meters across. A huge window ran its whole length and reached a third of the way around it. If you pictured the tube lying flat, the window would be 500 meters wide and about 2 meters high. For all its size, the tube was not very heavy. It was strong and flexible and hard to damage. Even if someone managed, with great effort, to break the glass, no gas would leak out. The strong metal mesh melted into it kept the glass from falling to pieces, and the hairline cracks could hardly let any gas escape. When struck, the wall only gave a little and quivered like a spring. Near the finished shell the craftsmen in their space suits bustled about and darted back and forth. They bumped into one another and sometimes went spinning comically, but they gravely stopped themselves and admired their work from every side and from near and far.

Оставалось поместить в оранжерее сосуд с полужидкой почвой, впустить разреженные газы, насадить семена, приладить регуляторы температуры, влажности, удобрения и состава газообразной среды.

It remained to place in the greenhouse a vessel with semi-liquid soil, let in rarefied gases, plant the seeds, fit regulators of temperature, humidity, fertilizer and composition of the gaseous medium.

It remained to put a container of semiliquid soil into the greenhouse, let in the thin gases, and plant the seeds. Regulators also had to be fitted for the temperature, the moisture, the fertilizer, and the mix of gases.

Вы, может быть, изумились, что из ракеты могла вылезть такая огромная штука, как оранжерея, но во - первых, об‘ем ее почти такой же, как ракеты, во - вторых, давление газов и паров в оранжереи, так ничтожно, что стенки ее могли быть очень тонки, никак не толще обыкновенного дешевого стекла. От этого вся оболочка весила около 20 тонн, между тем, как вес ракеты со всем содержимым составлял 400 тонн. Эта оранжерея давала еще 1000 кв. метров поверхности, освещаемой в течении двух третей здешних суток нормальными солнечными лучами; на одного человека приходилось целых 50 кв. метров... Но трудно представить, какое огромное количество самых питательных плодов могла дать эта поверхность здесь, при чудных условиях произрастания и освещения!!! Стекла были из чистого кварца и потому отлично пропускали химические лучи, что очень способствовало урожаю.

You, perhaps, were amazed that out of the rocket could climb such a huge thing as the greenhouse, but in the first place, its volume is almost the same as the rocket’s, in the second, the pressure of the gases and vapors in the greenhouse [is] so insignificant that its walls could be very thin, in no way thicker than ordinary cheap glass. Because of this the whole shell weighed about 20 tons, while the weight of the rocket with all its contents was 400 tons. This greenhouse gave another 1000 sq. meters of surface, lit during two thirds of the local day [24 hours] by normal sun rays; to one person fell a whole 50 sq. meters... But it is hard to imagine what an enormous quantity of the most nourishing fruits this surface could give here, under the wonderful conditions of growth and lighting!!! The panes were of pure quartz and therefore excellently let through the chemical rays, which greatly assisted the harvest.

You may be amazed that such a huge thing as the greenhouse could come out of the rocket. But, first, its volume was about the same as the rocket’s. Second, the pressure of the gases and vapors inside it was so slight that its walls could be very thin, no thicker than ordinary cheap glass. So the whole shell weighed about 20 tons, while the rocket with everything in it weighed 400 tons. The greenhouse added another 1,000 square meters of surface, lit by sunlight falling straight on it for two-thirds of each day out here.11 That came to a whole 50 square meters per person. It is hard to picture what a huge amount of the most nourishing fruit this surface could yield here, under such wonderful conditions for growth and light! The panes were of pure quartz, so they let the chemical rays through very well, and this helped the harvest greatly.

11. The rocket circles Earth in about 100 minutes. Earlier in the chapter the sun sets 67 minutes after it rises, and night lasts 33 minutes.

Клубника, земляника, разнообразные овощи и фрукты росли не по дням, а по часам. Множество плодов давало урожай через каждые десять, пятнадцать дней. Садили карликовые яблони, груши и другие небольшие плодовые кусты и деревья. Эти — без перерыва цвели и давали изумительно большие и вкусные плоды. Одни деревья зацветали, другие имели уже спелые ягоды. Особенно удавались арбузы, дыни, ананасы, вишни, сливы. Но приходилось постоянно подрезывать разрастающие кусты и деревца. Плоды всякого сорта собирались непрерывно во всякое время, так как времен года не было: был один непрерывный, неизменный климат. Только искусственно можно было менять его—и даже в весьма широких пределах. Вот почему можно было разводить растения всех стран. Большие деревья сейчас были невозможны: и по малым размерам оранжереи, и по недостатку почвы и удобрения. Когда эти пустынные эфирные пространства заселят миллионы живых разумных существ, тогда пойдет уже дело не так...

Garden strawberries, wild strawberries, various vegetables and fruits grew not by days but by hours. A multitude of fruits gave a harvest every ten, fifteen days. [They] planted dwarf apple trees, pears and other small fruit bushes and trees. These — without a break flowered and gave astonishingly large and tasty fruits. Some trees were coming into bloom, others already had ripe berries. Especially successful were watermelons, melons, pineapples, cherries, plums. But [one] had constantly to prune the overgrowing bushes and little trees. Fruits of every sort were gathered continuously at any time, since there were no seasons of the year: there was one continuous, unchanging climate. Only artificially could [one] change it — and even within very wide limits. That is why [one] could raise plants of all countries. Large trees were for now impossible: both because of the small size of the greenhouse, and because of the lack of soil and fertilizer. When these desert ethereal spaces are settled by millions of living rational beings, then the matter will go otherwise...

Garden strawberries, wild strawberries, and all kinds of vegetables and fruit grew not by the day but by the hour. Many plants bore a crop every ten or fifteen days. Dwarf apple trees, pears, and other small fruit bushes and trees were planted. These bloomed without a break and bore wonderfully large, tasty fruit. Some trees were coming into flower while others already had ripe berries. Watermelons, melons, pineapples, cherries, and plums did especially well. But the spreading bushes and little trees had to be pruned all the time. Fruit of every kind was picked constantly, at any time, for there were no seasons. There was one single climate that never stopped or changed. It could be changed only by hand, though over a very wide range. That is why plants from every country could be grown. Large trees were not yet possible, because the greenhouse was small and there was not enough soil and fertilizer. When millions of living, thinking beings have settled these empty spaces of the ether, things will be different...

Оранжерею часто посешали и ради сбора плодов, и ради прогулки Без скафандр это было делать невозможно, так как давление газов и водяных паров в оранжерее не превышало 20 мм.ртутного столба, т.-е. оно было в 40 раз меньше давления атмосферы и было недостаточно для человека. Также, состав газов, превосходный для растений, был совсем не благоприятен для людей. Водяные пары далеко не достигали степени насыщения, соответственного температуре, потому что испарения листьев и почвы, прежде насыщения, сгущались в особых придатках оранжереи, находящихся постоянно в тени и имеющих поэтому температуру близкую к нулю. Так что упругость паров была не более 4 — 10 мм. Углекислый газ, кислород, азот и другие газы также были в очень разреженном состоянии. Но это, как известно, мало влияет на производительность растений.

The greenhouse was often visited both for the gathering of fruits and for the sake of a stroll[.] Without space suits this was impossible to do, since the pressure of the gases and water vapors in the greenhouse did not exceed 20 mm of mercury column, i.e. it was 40 times less than the pressure of the atmosphere and was insufficient for a man. Also, the composition of the gases, excellent for plants, was quite unfavorable for people. The water vapors far did not reach the degree of saturation corresponding to the temperature, because the evaporations of the leaves and soil, before saturation, condensed in special appendages of the greenhouse, located constantly in the shade and having therefore a temperature close to zero. So that the elasticity [pressure] of the vapors was not more than 4 — 10 mm. Carbonic gas, oxygen, nitrogen and other gases were also in a very rarefied state. But this, as is known, has little influence on the productivity of plants.

People often visited the greenhouse, both to pick fruit and to take a stroll. It could not be done without space suits. The pressure of the gases and water vapor in the greenhouse was no more than 20 millimeters of mercury.12 That is forty times less than the pressure of Earth’s air, and not enough for a person. The mix of gases, too, was excellent for plants but quite unsuitable for people. The water vapor was far from saturating the air at that temperature. Before that could happen, the moisture given off by the leaves and soil condensed in special side chambers of the greenhouse. These were always in shade, so they stayed close to freezing. As a result the vapor pressure was only 4 to 10 millimeters. Carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, and the other gases were all very thin as well. But this, as is known, makes little difference to how well plants grow.

12. Pressure measured by the height of a column of mercury it can hold up.

Посещение оранжерей, особенно в первое время, доставляло огромное удовольствие. Растения такой массой заполняли все пространство, что едва было возможно летать среди этой чудной зелени и плодов. При движении тела располагались вдоль трубы, чтобы не задевать за плоды. Но задевать все-таки приходилось и зрелые плоды отскакивали от черенков в огромном числе. Сами они не отпадали, как бы зрелы не были: не имели веса. Но и соскочившие со стеблей фрукты ни куда не попадали, а бродили взад и вперед, вдоль и поперек, пока не застревали в густой листве. Летающие как птицы, наши гуляки могли бы насыщаться только раскрывая рот, но к сожалению этому мешали скафандры. Плоды и ягоды только стукались в стекла шлемов и сейчас же отскакивали; их приходилось ловить сетками, как бабочек, и заключать в легкие полупрозрачные мешки.

The visiting of the greenhouses, especially at first, gave enormous pleasure. The plants filled all the space with such a mass that it was barely possible to fly among this wonderful greenery and fruits. In moving, the bodies were placed along the tube so as not to catch on the fruits. But [they] had to catch all the same, and ripe fruits bounced off the stalks in enormous number. By themselves they did not fall off, however ripe they were: they had no weight. But even the fruits that had jumped off the stems went nowhere, but wandered back and forth, along and across, until they stuck in the thick foliage. Flying like birds, our strollers could have fed themselves only by opening the mouth, but unfortunately the space suits prevented this. The fruits and berries only knocked against the glass of the helmets and at once bounced off; [one] had to catch them with nets, like butterflies, and enclose [them] in light half-transparent bags.

Visiting the greenhouses was a huge pleasure, especially at first. The plants filled the whole space so thickly that one could hardly fly among all this wonderful greenery and fruit. As they moved, people kept their bodies lined up along the tube so as not to brush against the fruit. But they brushed against it all the same, and ripe fruit popped off its stalks in great numbers. It never fell off by itself, however ripe it was, for it had no weight. And the fruit that did pop off the stems did not fall anywhere either. It drifted back and forth, along the tube and across it, until it got caught in the thick leaves. Flying like birds, our strollers could have fed themselves just by opening their mouths. Unfortunately, their space suits got in the way. The fruit and berries only bumped against the glass of their helmets and bounced right off. They had to be caught with nets, like butterflies, and put into light, semitransparent bags.

Вход в оранжерею не был прост, несмотря на скафандры. Нужно было сначала из эфира влететь в особую камеру при оранжерее, в роде прихожей, где не было газов, затем дверь наружу, в эфир замыкалась и и воздух из оранжерей впускался в камеру через внутреннюю открытую створку; через нее вылетал в теплицу и человек.

The entry into the greenhouse was not simple, in spite of the space suits. [One] had first from the ether to fly into a special chamber at the greenhouse, in the manner of an anteroom, where there were no gases; then the door outward, into the ether, was locked and [and] the air from the greenhouses was let into the chamber through the inner opened leaf [door]; through it the person too flew out into the hothouse.

Getting into the greenhouse was not simple, even in space suits. First a person had to fly in from the ether to a special chamber beside the greenhouse, a kind of entrance hall with no gas in it. Then the outer door, to the ether, was shut. The inner door was opened, and air from the greenhouse was let into the chamber. Through that door the person flew on into the greenhouse.

Когда соединили одной и той же проходной камерой оранжерею и ракету, то дело упростилось. Всякий, одетый в скафандру, сначала попадал в соединительную камеру с газом ракеты, потом газ этот перекачивался в жилую ея часть, отворялась дальнейшая дверь и человек попадал в оранжерею. Если он затем хотел из оранжереи уйти в эфирное пространство, то переходил в особую оранжерейную камеру с двумя дверями; из нея начисто удалялись в оранжерею газы и пары; наконец, отварялась дверь в эфирное пространство и желающий вылетал на свободу.

When [they] connected the greenhouse and the rocket by one and the same passage chamber, the matter was simplified. Everyone, dressed in a space suit, first got into the connecting chamber with the gas of the rocket, then this gas was pumped over into its living part, the further door opened and the person got into the greenhouse. If he then wanted to go from the greenhouse out into ether space, he passed into a special greenhouse chamber with two doors; out of it the gases and vapors were cleanly removed into the greenhouse; finally the door into ether space opened and the one wishing flew out to freedom.

Things became simpler when the greenhouse and the rocket were joined by a single passage chamber. A person in a space suit first entered the connecting chamber, which held the rocket’s air. Then that air was pumped back into the living part of the rocket, the next door was opened, and the person entered the greenhouse. If he then wanted to go out of the greenhouse into space, he moved into a special greenhouse chamber with two doors. All the gases and vapors were pumped out of it into the greenhouse. At last the door to space opened, and he flew out to freedom.