THE MAKING OF A MOON

Comparing Clarke's version of the satellite a-making to Caiden's version (Vanguard! page 405) the differences are substantial enough to warrant the reading of both. Clarke plays down the details of the Florida launching site, the mechanics of constructing the satellite. He tends not to dramatize, his language is conceptual rather than visual. However he does play up the history of man-made moon thinking, the scientific problems it raises and answers and promises, the potentialities of space conquest in general. For Clarke, project Vanguard is a matter of theory. The facts he covers are superficially close to Caidin's selection, but the approach and emphasis are unrecognizably altered in the direction of seriousness, analysis and inquiry.