Cornish space travel problems.

[Lancman]

Some years ago I had to change trains in Redruth, down in Cornwall, after a long over-night journey. As there was some time to wait I left the station and found a bench to sit on under the shade of a tree overlooking a bowling green. I hadn’t been there long before an elderly chap came along to join me in that very relaxing spot and, noticing my RAF uniform, asked me if I believed in space travel. “Oh yes, coming soon” I replied.

“Naw, never ‘appen” says he.

It appears that there’s this layer up above the sky that this chap Marconi had discovered and used in order to bounce wireless messages clear across the Atlantic from Poldhu to America.

These rockets that they’re sending up now are powerful enough to punch their way up through this layer but they’re not strong enough to get back down. They’re just laying around up there. Not one of them has ever got back to Earth again intact.

My connection was about due so I didn’t stay to put him right, besides, he had certain facts that proved him correct.

 

[JimW]

The macaroni layer presented less of a barrier.

 

[MickiQ]

Sadly this isn't true otherwise we would not have had to put up with the sight of the Bearded Wonder grinning at us after he managed to pip the Evil Overlord on his private space flight by a few days.

 

[two sheds]

Lancman would have learned if he'd stayed a bit longer that that one was replaced by a mindless automaton and nobody noticed.