The Argo Goes West

64, Martian ship

Flagstaff, Arizona. Lowell Observatory was located on a 6,910-foot mountain surrounded by green forest. Its owner, astronomer Percival Lowell, was observing celestial objects through the lens of his proud 61-centimeter Clark Refracting Telescope.

He had heard from his assistants that traffic had been cut off from Los Angeles and other West Coast cities. But he was more interested in space than on earth. Mars, named after the Greek god of war, was magnified in the telescope lens. It was Mars that inspired Lowell to become an astronomer.

That same year, H.G. Wells published 'The War of the Worlds' in England. The book was based on Lowell's hypothesis that there are canals on Mars and that Martians exist.

Lowell was now observing Mars, hoping for more discoveries.

"Huh?" Lowell blinked. He found something astounding in the orbit of Mars.

"It's a Martian ship!"

Lowell shouted loudly. The assistants gathered excitedly to Lowell, who was seated on a moveable ladder chair.

"What kind of ship is it?" asked one of the assistants.

"It looks a lot like an Earth steamship. A long, narrow hull, three masts with sails on the deck, and a chimney..."

It looked exactly like a ship Lowell had actually seen. A few years ago, he was staying in Japan and went to the port of Yokohama to see off a friend (either Lafcadio Hearn or Ernest Fenollosa) who was returning to America. It was the ship that was floating in the harbor at that time. The name was Ulysses. The reason he remembered it was because it was an unlucky name for a ship. Ulysses, also known as Odysseus, was a hero in Greek mythology who was adrift on his journey home from the Trojan War.

"What is the ship's power source? Is it still steam?"

Lowell looked through the telescope again. He knew that his assistants wanted to see it, but for the time being he wanted to monopolize the joy of the great discovery that confirmed the existence of the Martians.