Tintin Forums

Consider this:
In Destination Moon, the Syldavian government invites Calculus to work at the Sprodj Atomic Research Centre and he is subsequently put in charge of the astronautical section. He then announces he is just completing plans for a nuclear powered rocket he proposes to land on the moon. (P9)

Later on after he develops amnesia we find out from Mr. Baxter that Calculus alone knows the secret of the nuclear motor and without him the the moon project could never go ahead. (P46)

Surely Baxter as the Director General of the centre has a responsibility to ensure that such vital information does not remain with one person?

Did Calculus already have an inkling of mistrust within the centre not to want to share the secret of the motor with others?

Given the vast amounts of Khôrs the Syldavian government have probably poured into the project, I'm not sure they'd look favourably on such a oversight on the astronautical teams behalf.

Fantasy I know, but any thoughts? :)

Well, how exactly would you propose that Baxter extract the information from Calculus, should the professor be unwilling to volunteer the information? Hand him over to the interrogators of ZEPO?

I would suggest that in this case the professor is the only single person capable of understanding the necessary science and mathematics to achieve the rocket; the number of scientists who would need to be combined to interpret the data would be greater than security could countenance. They are prepared therefore to gamble on keeping the professor safe and out of the hands of others, against extracting the data from him against his will, then handing it over to a committee, who might not be able to understand it.

Of course, it has been extrapolated from the Moon books that the launching of an atomic rocket from a small Balkan state could bring down civilization (see DC Comics Teen Titans Spotlight on the Brotherhood of Evil for details...), with the professor falling into the hands of less understanding states.

I'm suggesting nothing so sinister, jock... :-)

Given that the project is for humanitarian purposes I am assuming that Calculus would be willing to volunteer the information. So, given the circumstances they found themselves in, was it wise for only he to have that knowledge given the enormity of the project?

Should something more disastrous have happened to the professor than amnesia (fatal accident?) then the entire moon project was finished. At least if other members of the team knew the working behind the motor then the project could possibly continue.

If the professor is the only person capable of understanding the 'inner workings' of the rocket was it irresponsible or just a foresight on the part of he and Baxter not to ensure the vital information is shared?

A matter of security, perhaps? With the recent incidents involving the spies it was important to keep things as secretive as possible. Look at how carried away Calculus gets when the experimental rocket XFLR6 is almost hijacked by their enemies and he is anxious to destroy it. On that basis Calculus would have agreed to develop the nuclear engine, on condition that he kept the finer details to himself and not entrust them to anyone else - not even his closest assistant Frank Wolff (a wise precaution as it turned out).

For the project to go ahead at all, Baxter and the authorities would have had to agree to those terms and taken responsibility for Calculus' safety - though of course they could not protect him from his own temper.

I shouldn't take the practicalities of such a move too seriously. Although Herge did base much of the moon mission on the way many scientists viewed it at the time, he did take a lot of liberties in the storyline: would anyone in their right mind send a renown alcoholic like Haddock on such a mission, especially when he expresses some much cynicism and reluctance? It is rather odd that he and Tintin only get to see the rocket when it is in the final stage of completion. And prior to going to the moon, Tintin received no training in handling the tank and it was only when trying it out that they decided that the helmets were necessary: what would have happened if they'd left them behind?

Whew! That's a relief!


That sounds reasonable, I agree.


Hmmm... I see what you mean. Perhaps then we have to reflect upon the fact that, even with full documentation, and the resources to interpret the data, there will always be a point at which the Professor is still working on a problem which only he understands: that presumably is why he is there and needed by the project. Until every novel thought or inspired idea is finalised, the rocket is in his hands

Baxter may have been being a little over-dramatic in his choice of words, he may also have thought it necessary to use simple language to convey the seriousness of the problem to laymen, rather than saying that until the Professor balanced the equations governing the flux-capacitor with the reticulating surge-grommets, the thurl vents would always be out of whack!

But I agree with you, that there is a bit of a weak link in the chain there!

Interesting answers. Thanks you two.

I like your last paragraph, mct. More food for thought!

Well, we know that the Professor stored the plans for the rocket in a safe. Perhaps the plans for the engine were in there as well, but no one else knew the combination. It would be a desperate move to try to force the thing open. Perhaps Mr. Baxter just wanted to wait a few days to see if Calculus regained his memory first.

It's a good question, Ranko.

Maybe Professor Calculus deliberately made sure that he was the only one who knew absolutely all the finer points of the technology, because he was suspicious that if the Syldavians learnt how to build a nuclear rocket by themselves, they might want to use the nuclear rocket technology for warlike purposes (as indeed they want to do with his next invention, in the subsequent Calculus Affair).

Maybe Calculus also insisted, as a condition of his involvement in the project, that this was to be an international mission for all mankind, and that he would be choosing the crew. This would explain why there are no Syldavian nationals in the team going to the moon (except the stowed away Jorgen!) and why there was no normal selection for suitability procedure, which, as mct points out, would (on a real space programme) have barred a volatile drunkard like Haddock from being part of the crew.