THE JOURNAL OF ASTROSOCIOLOGY VOLUME 1

From the Earth to the Moon (1865) andAround the Moon (1870)Apollo spacecraft (1968-1969)• Capsule launched by “Columbiad” • “Columbia” capsule launched by rocketcannon• Launch site in Florida • Launch site in Florida• Mission circled past the moon andreturned to Earth• Orbited the moon and returned to Earth(Apollo 8)• Crew: 3 • Crew: 3• Material: Aluminum • Material: Aluminum• Mass: 9.7 tons • Mass: 13.1 tons• Diameter 2.74 m • Diameter: 3.9 mTable 1: Comparative Chart between Verne’s Approximations and Apollo MissionsVerne’s novel was well celebrated in popular culture, and was undoubtedly one of themajor influences on H. G. Wells The First Men in the Moon, as well as much later sciencefiction. It also was a main inspiration for one of the earliest motion pictures, the 1902 film LeVoyage dans la Lune (“A Trip to the Moon”) by Georges Méliès, which was the first sciencefictionfilm.Figure 3: Science Fiction –From Earth to Moon (1865);Capsule splashdown inPacific, recovered by USSSusquehanna.Figure 4: NASA Reality – Apollo-11(1969); Apollo Capsule splashdown inPacific, recovered by USS Hornet.© 2015 Astrosociology Research Institute60