Reaching for the Moon

In the year 3951, Dr. Saunders has spent years perfecting his plans for a lunar rocket, a vessel to carry humanity to the Moon at last. He presents his blueprints to four wealthy investors, expecting believers. Instead, he finds men who see only profit margins and practical risks. Wars rage. Earth has problems enough. Why chase dreams? Saunders makes his case with passion: a moon mission could unite humanity around something noble, could redirect violence into construction. The investors remain unmoved. They want returns, not wonder. Saunders leaves the meeting defeated but unbroken, he will continue his work regardless, chasing a dream that may never fund itself. Written in 1951, when space travel belonged only to imagination, this short story captures the eternal friction between visionaries and those who demand immediate practicality. It's a compact, affecting portrait of what it costs to believe in the impossible, and why some people believe anyway.