The first attempts may fail. The first satellite may fall back and
have to be guided to an ocean landing. Or its controls might not bring
it into the planned orbit. In this case, it could coast on out into
space and be lost. But sooner or later, effective controls will be
found. Then the manned space ships will follow.

Once in free space, there will be no gravitational pull to offset. The
space ship and everything in it will be weightless. Shielding is
expected to prevent danger from cosmic rays and solar radiation.

The danger from meteorites has been partly discounted in one
scientific study. ("Probability that a meteorite will hit or penetrate
a body situated in the vicinity of the earth," by G. Grimminger,
Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 19, No. 10, pp. 947-956, October
1948) In this study, it is stated that a meteorite is unlikely to
penetrate the thick shell our space vehicles will undoubtedly have.
However, this applies only to the earth's atmosphere. Longer studies,
using remote-controlled vehicles in space, may take years before it
will be safe to launch a manned space ship. Radar or other devices may
have to be developed to detect approaching meteorites at a distance
and automatically change a space ship's course. The change required
would be infinitesimal, using power for only a fraction of a second.

But before we are ready for interplanetary travel, we will have to
harness atomic power or some other force not now available, such as
cosmic rays. Navigation at such tremendous speeds is another great
problem, on which special groups are now at work. A Navy scientific
project recently found that strange radio signals are constantly being
sent out from a "hot spot" in the Milky Way; other nebulae or "hot"