Destination Moon (story)

"Destination Moon" is a short story by science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein, first published in Short Stories Magazine, September 1950.

The story is an adaptation of his screenplay for the film Destination Moon in 1950. It begins with Doctor Robert Corley, Rear Admiral “Red” Bowles and Jim Barnes contemplating the success of their project to build a spacecraft to fly to the moon. The craft is powered by a nuclear engine, and the government has declined permission for it to be tested in place, suggesting a Pacific island facility instead. Corley, believing that the delay is unreasonable and simple delaying tactics, decides to launch anyway as soon as the next window arrives in a few hours. He rushes final preparation under the guise of a dress rehearsal. A court order arrives at the last minute to prevent the flight, but the crew manage to avoid having it served and slip aboard. They avoid a further attempt to stop them by "test firing" the nuclear rocket, flooding the area around the ship with flame. The ship launches on time and flies to the moon, although a major course correction has to be performed thanks to the fuel wasted in the test firing. The photograph the surface as they approach, but more fuel is wasted avoiding large canyon on landing, and the ship comes down out of sight of the Earth and so unable to report back via radio. Their estimates of the fuel supply indicate that they lack the fuel to return. Admiral Bowles takes the view that their safe return is irrelevant - all that matters is to claim the moon in the name of the United States of America and make radio contact with Earth to report the fact. He suggests using the remaining fuel to make a brief flight into line of sight with Earth, to this end. The other crewmembers prefer to try to return alive if they can. Although Earth briefly rises above the horizon thanks to the moon's libration, the Pacific ocean is towards the moon and so contact with America cannot be established. The crew set themselves to lightening the ship as much as possible to improve their chances of returning. During this process they review their film of the lunar surface and find a small base on the surface. They wonder whether the base might be Russian, or even alien in origin. Admiral Bowles changes his argument, saying that now they must return in order to give the proof to military intelligence. They conduct further lightening and launch; the story leaves it open as to whether they are able to return safely - Corley says probably not, "But we’re sure going to give it a try!"

Listen to

• Robert Heinlein's Destination Moon, Dimension X, NBC radio, 1950