Science Mistakes
Since the story was written originally in 1911, some of the science predictions turned out to be wrong.
Ether: It was assumed that just as a sound wave needed a medium to travel in, so did a light wave. Ether was the unknown substance that light traveled in (actually called Aether by scientists, not to be confused with the gas Ether). This was a common assumption in 1911. In the story an ether vacuum occurred when too much energy was radiated at once. Radiation caused more ether to be drawn to an area of energy expenditure and the lack of ether resulting from this overusage caused a temporary blackout because light could not travel where there was no ether. Heat and cold could also not be transferred during such a blackout. We now know that such ether does not exist and is not needed for light to travel. Such effects are impossible.
Gyroscope: Only in the story is space travel possible by using gyroscope-powered vehicles. The idea of rockets is not mentioned at all.
Read more about this topic: Ralph 124C 41+
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