Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 52 — page 93: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Invisible Daylight VERYBODY has had the irritating experience of getting a bright idea, explain- ing it with great gusto to a valued friend and then receiv- ing the now not-so-valued- friend’s splash of cold water. If it is a bucketful of a splash that is probably the end of that idea. More often it seems like a spoonful on a volcano of an idea. In such case annoyance is mingled with contempt and the friend is easily dropped in favour of the idea. But space travel is not just a bright idea, any more than wireless telepathy was any- one’s bright idea. It will be - man’s achievement in spite of the spoonful of cold water of the sceptic, who is often just not sufficiently fond of his fellow men to be willing to give them credit for ever being able to do anything so difficult. Mark that word “difficult.” Each generation does in turn the things it finds possible, and a very large section of the current population in each generation plays a part in the 92 by W.W. Byford B.Sc. achievements—especially the true sceptic—the one who helps by exposing the difficul- ties before they are encoun- tered. In space travel the unforeseen obstacle will be almost certainly insurmount- able, and laling out in space, though that may be possible eventually, will be most in- convenient. So let us have all the cold water we can throw at an idea that for many of you is also a reality to be. So far it may seem as though in my articles I have been making straw men just for the sake of knocking them down. In fact I have tried rather to take quality of space to consider what difficul- ties may arise from it and then to indicate how they may be met. Suppose now you send me your own worries about the snags that will arise in space travel. I do not pretend that I shall be able to answer all your problems. If I were able to do so, I should by now be only one of a large company of people familiar with space at first hand. Let me have comiclooks.com -