# Michel Ardan — From the Earth to the Moon character guide > Michel Ardan in From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Ardan, Michel **First appearance:** 0017-the-passenger-of-the-atlanta ## Snapshot A French adventurer who telegraphs the Gun Club mid-project to demand a cylindro-conical shell, then talks his way past every objection to riding it to the Moon. ## Who they are Ardan arrives as a telegram and becomes the project's public face, debating skeptics from a platform before three hundred thousand people and refusing to abandon his loudest heckler to the crowd. Where Barbicane calculates and Nicholl resents, Ardan charms — he answers the fatal questions (air, food, heat, the return trip) with wit rather than data, and his 'I shall not come back' silences an entire assembly. He matters because he converts a ballistic stunt into a human adventure, and because his refusal to let the two rivals shoot each other is what puts three men in the projectile instead of two in a grave. ## Relationships ### [Impey Barbicane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/impey_barbicane) _friendship_ Barbicane and Ardan share a close, enthusiastic friendship as co-planners and travelers on the moon mission. ### [Captain Nicholl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/captain_nicholl) _friendship_ Nicholl and Ardan develop a strong friendship after initial antagonism, united by the moon expedition. ### [J. T. Maston](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/j_t_maston) _friendship_ Maston and Ardan share a warm, humorous friendship, with Maston admiring Ardan's adventurous spirit. ### [Impey Barbicane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/impey_barbicane) _friendship_ Barbicane and Ardan share a close, enthusiastic friendship as co-planners and travelers on the moon mission. ### [Captain Nicholl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/captain_nicholl) _friendship_ Nicholl and Ardan develop a strong friendship after initial antagonism, united by the moon expedition. ### [J. T. Maston](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/j_t_maston) _friendship_ Maston and Ardan share a warm, humorous friendship, with Maston admiring Ardan's adventurous spirit. ### [Impey Barbicane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/impey_barbicane) _friendship_ Barbicane and Ardan share a close, enthusiastic friendship as co-planners and travelers on the moon mission. ### [Captain Nicholl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/captain_nicholl) _friendship_ Nicholl and Ardan develop a strong friendship after initial antagonism, united by the moon expedition. ### [J. T. Maston](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/j_t_maston) _friendship_ Maston and Ardan share a warm, humorous friendship, with Maston admiring Ardan's adventurous spirit. ## In the story ### [A Telegram](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/a-telegram) Sends a telegram from Paris proposing to travel inside the projectile. ### [The Passenger of the Atlanta](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/the-passenger-of-the-atlanta) Arrives on the Atlanta; confirms his decision to go to the Moon; described in detail as a bold, hyperbolical, and adventurous European. ### [A Meeting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/a-meeting) Delivers a rousing speech on space travel and the habitability of planets, captivating the audience. ### [Thrust and Parry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/thrust-and-parry) Debates the unknown man about lunar conditions, defending the expedition with charm and scientific reasoning. ### [How a Frenchman Settles an Affair](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/how-a-frenchman-settles-an-affair) Rallies to prevent the duel and proposes a joint voyage to the Moon to reconcile Barbicane and Nicholl. ### [The New Citizen of the United States](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/the-new-citizen-of-the-united-states) Celebrated as a hero, receives deputations, discusses lunar influence, visits the Columbiad, and is granted U.S. citizenship. ### [The Projectile Compartment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/the-projectile-compartment) Insists on a more dignified vertical orientation for the projectile and adds artistic touches to the interior. ### [Final Details](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/final-details) Proposes a yearly resupply scheme via the Columbiad, argues for bringing animals and trees, and is caught smoking near the guncotton, requiring special supervision. ### [Fire!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/fire) Remains cheerful and joking, even at the moment of departure. ### [Cloudy Weather](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/cloudy-weather) Ardan is cheered by the crowd as one of the travelers in the projectile. ### [A New Star](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/a-new-star) One of the three travelers now trapped as a satellite of the moon. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/michel_ardan - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters