SF Trope: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_Ship_Galileo
Current Event: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rocket_launch_sites#Additional_rocket_launch_sites_in_North_America, https://osm4wiki.toolforge.org/cgi-bin/wiki/wiki-osm.pl?project=en&article=List_of_rocket_launch_sites, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceport_Sheboygan
Ilhan Mohamed made a face, then said, “You have to have faith.”
Current Event: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rocket_launch_sites#Additional_rocket_launch_sites_in_North_America, https://osm4wiki.toolforge.org/cgi-bin/wiki/wiki-osm.pl?project=en&article=List_of_rocket_launch_sites, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceport_Sheboygan
Ilhan Mohamed made a face, then said, “You have to have faith.”
Enok Johnsson shook his head and said, “No, I need a new best friend who doesn’t have ridiculous, suicidal ideas.”
“Hey! There’s a launch site in Wisconsin and one in Michigan on the Upper Peninsula. The one in Wisconsin would be ideal, but it’s still used as a science center. But the Keweenaw Rocket Range in the upper peninsula is both hard to get to and it’s mostly abandoned…”
Enok was hunched over his tablet and looked up a moment later. “You do realize that your spaceship launch pad is not far from where the most spectacular shipwreck of the 20th Century took place, right? There’s even a song about it.” He hit play before she could open her mouth. He’d meant for it to be a joke, but after the initial eerie notes of the song, they listened all the way through. They looked up and their eyes locked. Enok said, “Ya know, if I wasn’t gay, I think I’d be in love with you. What’s your plan?”
“You’re willing to go with me?”
“Well, first of all, I don’t see you having a valid drivers license…”
“I do, too! I drive the kids around all the time!”
He snorted, “Yeah, whatever. Like to swimming lessons and Target? That’s maybe thirty meters from your house.” Ilhan glared at him, narrowing her eyes, lips thinning to invisibilty. He held up his hands in defense, laughing as he said, “OK! OK! You’re an experienced long-distance driver!”
“Hey! There’s a launch site in Wisconsin and one in Michigan on the Upper Peninsula. The one in Wisconsin would be ideal, but it’s still used as a science center. But the Keweenaw Rocket Range in the upper peninsula is both hard to get to and it’s mostly abandoned…”
Enok was hunched over his tablet and looked up a moment later. “You do realize that your spaceship launch pad is not far from where the most spectacular shipwreck of the 20th Century took place, right? There’s even a song about it.” He hit play before she could open her mouth. He’d meant for it to be a joke, but after the initial eerie notes of the song, they listened all the way through. They looked up and their eyes locked. Enok said, “Ya know, if I wasn’t gay, I think I’d be in love with you. What’s your plan?”
“You’re willing to go with me?”
“Well, first of all, I don’t see you having a valid drivers license…”
“I do, too! I drive the kids around all the time!”
He snorted, “Yeah, whatever. Like to swimming lessons and Target? That’s maybe thirty meters from your house.” Ilhan glared at him, narrowing her eyes, lips thinning to invisibilty. He held up his hands in defense, laughing as he said, “OK! OK! You’re an experienced long-distance driver!”
She said, “You MIGHT be right, but you don’t have access to the same equipment that I do. If we decide to do this – like really build a spacecraft that could lift off from Earth, go into orbit, and land back on Earth…”
“We’d need like a zillion dollars!”
“If we wanted to do it the old fashioned way like NASA and SpaceX, you’d be right. But there are other ideas out there – and I have a direct line to one of the most…controversial and exciting.”
Enok scowled through blonde bangs, then said in as low of a voice as he could, “So, what’s your oldest brother working on now?”
She leaned closer, “It used to be called ‘antigravity’, but Abbas says that they call it gravity modification today; gMod for short. He’s not working on anything specific, but I got him to talk about it a week ago. They’re just playing with it now, but I got to thinking about applications to space travel…”
“Duh. You could see space travel in a can of pop!”
She looked up, “Now that you mention it…” He held up his hands in his own defense. She laughed, “Don’t worry, I won’t start lecturing for a while yet.” He wiped his forehead. “Don’t relax too much, if you’re going to help me, I’ll need to break you in.”
“Do it gently,” Enok said. “Remember, I’m more of a math-kind-of-guy, not a nuts-and-bolts-kinda-guy. I keep you around because you can get the pickup started even when the garage can’t.”
She looked heartbroken, “You mean…you mean…you don’t love me for my mind?” They laughed hard until she caught her breath and managed, “OK, so, the plan will involve a little simple theft – car part, a welder, and a few other things…”
“Is that all? You’re gonna make a space car? Why didn’t you say so? Let’s throw the stuff in the pickup and get going…”
“I need some time to get stuff together – how does next weekend sound?”
He rolled his eyes, “Sounds like the exact thing I want to do with my weekend – drive a million miles to the wooded point of a deserted rocket launchpad and spend the rest of the time building an insane spaceship!”
Names: ♀ Somalia, US ; ♂ Norway, US
Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Ariane5_VA221_liftoff2.jpg/220px-Ariane5_VA221_liftoff2.jpg
“We’d need like a zillion dollars!”
“If we wanted to do it the old fashioned way like NASA and SpaceX, you’d be right. But there are other ideas out there – and I have a direct line to one of the most…controversial and exciting.”
Enok scowled through blonde bangs, then said in as low of a voice as he could, “So, what’s your oldest brother working on now?”
She leaned closer, “It used to be called ‘antigravity’, but Abbas says that they call it gravity modification today; gMod for short. He’s not working on anything specific, but I got him to talk about it a week ago. They’re just playing with it now, but I got to thinking about applications to space travel…”
“Duh. You could see space travel in a can of pop!”
She looked up, “Now that you mention it…” He held up his hands in his own defense. She laughed, “Don’t worry, I won’t start lecturing for a while yet.” He wiped his forehead. “Don’t relax too much, if you’re going to help me, I’ll need to break you in.”
“Do it gently,” Enok said. “Remember, I’m more of a math-kind-of-guy, not a nuts-and-bolts-kinda-guy. I keep you around because you can get the pickup started even when the garage can’t.”
She looked heartbroken, “You mean…you mean…you don’t love me for my mind?” They laughed hard until she caught her breath and managed, “OK, so, the plan will involve a little simple theft – car part, a welder, and a few other things…”
“Is that all? You’re gonna make a space car? Why didn’t you say so? Let’s throw the stuff in the pickup and get going…”
“I need some time to get stuff together – how does next weekend sound?”
He rolled his eyes, “Sounds like the exact thing I want to do with my weekend – drive a million miles to the wooded point of a deserted rocket launchpad and spend the rest of the time building an insane spaceship!”
Names: ♀ Somalia, US ; ♂ Norway, US
Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Ariane5_VA221_liftoff2.jpg/220px-Ariane5_VA221_liftoff2.jpg
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