You know how some people think science fiction is just about aliens and lasers? Honestly, they’re missing out on the absolute madness that was Jules Verne. Specifically, his 1865 novel From the Earth to the Moon Jules Verne basically predicted the Apollo 11 mission a century before it actually happened. It’s kinda spooky.
Verne wasn't a scientist, but he was a researcher who was obsessed with math. He didn't just write a story; he sat down and calculated how a projectile could actually escape Earth's gravity. When you look at the "Gun Club" of Baltimore—the group of bored Civil War veterans who decide to shoot a cannonball at the moon in the book—you realize Verne was tapping into a very real human impulse. We’ve always been obsessed with hitting things. Only this time, the "thing" was a lunar neighbor.
The book is weird. It’s funny. It’s also deeply technical in ways that make modern NASA engineers do a double-take.
The Florida Connection and Why Geometry Matters
One of the most mind-blowing things about From the Earth to the Moon Jules Verne is where the launch happens. Verne decided the "Columbiad" (his massive cannon) had to be built in Stone’s Hill, Florida.
Why Florida?
Verne figured out that you need to be as close to the equator as possible to take advantage of the Earth’s rotational speed. It gives the spacecraft a "sling-shot" effect. Fast forward to the 1960s, and where does NASA launch the Saturn V? Cape Canaveral, Florida. It’s less than 150 miles from where Verne’s fictional Gun Club set up shop.
The coincidence doesn't stop there. Verne calculated that the projectile needed a velocity of 36,000 feet per second to reach escape velocity. In reality, the figure is closer to 36,700 feet per second. For a guy writing in the 19th century with a slide rule and some scratch paper, that is terrifyingly accurate. He understood that space travel wasn't about magic; it was about the brutal, uncompromising laws of physics.
He even got the cost right, sort of. In the book, the project costs about $5.4 million in 1865 dollars. If you adjust that for inflation and the sheer scale of the endeavor, it aligns curiously well with the initial budget estimates for early space programs. Verne knew that getting off this rock was going to be expensive.
Barbicane, Nicholl, and the Human Element
The story follows Impey Barbicane, the president of the Gun Club. He’s a man who loves ballistics. When the American Civil War ends, he and his buddies are depressed because they have nothing left to blow up. So, they pivot.
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Enter Captain Nicholl, Barbicane’s rival. Nicholl thinks the whole plan is garbage. He bets Barbicane huge sums of money that the cannon won't work, that the projectile will burst, and that they’ll never even hit the moon. This rivalry is what keeps the book from being a dry textbook.
Then you have Michel Ardan. He's a Frenchman—clearly a self-insert or a nod to Verne’s own heritage—who shows up and says, "Hey, don't just send a lead ball. Build a hollow one and put me inside it."
This changes everything.
Suddenly, it’s not just a ballistics experiment. It’s a manned mission. The dynamics between the stoic, math-focused Americans and the flamboyant, risk-taking Frenchman provide a lot of the book’s heart. Verne was exploring the "Right Stuff" decades before Chuck Yeager was even born. He captured that specific blend of ego, bravery, and sheer stupidity that defines exploration.
The Cannon vs. The Rocket
Okay, so Verne got the "how" mostly wrong. You can't actually shoot people out of a cannon.
The "Columbiad" was a 900-foot-long pipe buried in the ground. The crew—Barbicane, Nicholl, and Ardan—sat inside a projectile made of aluminum. (Side note: Verne chose aluminum because it’s light and strong, even though it was incredibly rare and expensive in 1865. Talk about foresight.)
The problem? Physics.
If you were actually inside a projectile being launched from a cannon at escape velocity, the G-forces would instantly turn you into a human pancake. You’d be crushed against the floor before you even left the barrel. Verne tried to hand-wave this with a "water-plug" shock absorber system, but yeah, it wouldn't have worked.
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Modern rockets use "gradual" acceleration. We burn fuel over several minutes to slowly (comparatively) get up to speed. Verne’s cannon gave you all that energy in a fraction of a second. It’s the difference between being pushed down a hallway and being hit by a freight train.
Still, the imagery of the giant gun is iconic. It reflected the technology of the time. In the 1860s, artillery was the peak of engineering. If you wanted to go fast and far, you used gunpowder. Rockets were just toys or small-scale weapons like the Congreve rockets used in the War of 1812. Verne used the best mental models available to him.
Predicting the Apollo Recovery
If the launch site being in Florida didn't freak you out, the landing will.
In the sequel, Around the Moon, the capsule eventually returns to Earth. Verne has them splash down in the Pacific Ocean. Specifically, they are picked up by a U.S. Navy vessel.
Think about that.
- Launch: Florida.
- Crew: Three men.
- Shape: Conical/Cylindrical projectile.
- Recovery: Splashdown in the ocean by the Navy.
Every single one of those details matches the Apollo missions. Even the weight of Verne's capsule (roughly 19,000 pounds) is remarkably close to the weight of the Apollo Command Module (about 12,000 to 13,000 pounds).
Why the Gun Club Still Matters Today
We live in an era where billionaires are playing with rockets like they’re toys. You look at Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos and you can see the ghosts of the Gun Club. It’s that same mixture of private funding, massive ambition, and "why not?" attitude.
Verne’s book wasn't just a fantasy. It was a blueprint for the "Big Science" of the 20th century. He showed that if you get enough smart people in a room and give them enough money, you can solve the impossible.
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But there’s a darker side to it, too. The Gun Club were weapons manufacturers. They spent their lives perfecting ways to kill people. Verne was subtly commenting on how the technology of war could be repurposed for the advancement of humanity. It’s a theme that followed the V-2 rocket scientists from Nazi Germany to NASA. The same fire that burns a city can carry us to the stars.
Getting the Most Out of Reading Verne
If you're going to dive into From the Earth to the Moon Jules Verne, don't expect a fast-paced thriller. It’s a product of its time. There are long chapters about the metallurgy of the cannon and the specific chemistry of the gunpowder.
Honestly, skip the boring bits if you have to. Focus on the dialogue and the sheer audacity of the plan.
- Look for the 1867 translation: Some modern versions are heavily abridged and lose the technical "flavor" that makes Verne unique.
- Read the sequel: Around the Moon is where the actual space travel happens. The first book is almost entirely about the preparation and the building of the gun.
- Compare it to H.G. Wells: While Verne was obsessed with the "how," Wells (who wrote The First Men in the Moon) just invented a magical substance called "Cavorite" that defied gravity. Verne hated that. He thought it was "cheating." Knowing this rivalry makes the reading much more fun.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Reader
If you want to appreciate the legacy of this work, you have to look beyond the page.
- Visit the Kennedy Space Center: When you stand near the launch pads in Florida, remember that a Frenchman imagined this exact scene over 150 years ago. It adds a layer of historical vertigo to the experience.
- Study the "Verne Gun" concepts: Modern engineers have actually looked into "space guns" (like the SHARP project) for launching non-human cargo. It’s cheaper than rockets for things that don't mind high G-forces.
- Check out the 1902 film: A Trip to the Moon by Georges Méliès is heavily inspired by Verne. It’s only 13 minutes long and contains the iconic image of the rocket hitting the Man in the Moon in the eye.
Jules Verne didn't just write a story; he gave us a target. He looked at the moon and decided it wasn't a god or a light, but a destination. By sticking to the math and the possible—even when he got the details of human survival wrong—he made the dream feel real enough to chase.
To really understand the history of space travel, you have to start with the Gun Club. You have to start with the idea that we can build something big enough to break the world's hold on us. Whether it's a cannon or a Falcon 9, the spirit is exactly the same.
Go find a copy of the book. Read the math. Laugh at the 19th-century slang. Then look up at the moon tonight and realize how close Verne really was.
Next Steps for Your Research
- Download the Project Gutenberg version: It's free and usually features the original illustrations which help visualize the "Columbiad."
- Search for "The Verne Gun" on YouTube: There are several physics breakdowns that show exactly why the cannon would have failed—and why the math of the trajectory was so impressive anyway.
- Read "Paris in the Twentieth Century": If you want to see Verne’s darker, more cynical side regarding technology, this "lost" novel is a must-read.
The intersection of Victorian engineering and the vacuum of space is a wild place to spend an afternoon. Don't let the "classic" label scare you off—Verne was a geek for the ages.