A 54-year-old Whitechapel man has reportedly orbited the planet Venus in a garden shed that he had converted into a rudimentary rocketship over the course of less than a dozen weekends.
Toby Dell, a gravity caster at Whitechapel Bell Foundry, blasted off into space on Monday just after midday, reaching Venus at around 2.30 pm on the following day.
According to NASA, Dell has completed an orbit of the planet and has now deployed the shed’s retro rockets to blast free from its gravitational pull.
According to his wife, Tracy, 47, he intends to attempt a brief landing on Mars on the way back, although he has expressed concerns about damaging the Ronseal creosote protective coating on his larch lap craft when he touches down on the Red Planet.
Speaking to a Whelk reporter last night, Mrs Dell said: “I didn’t even know he was turning the shed into a rocket.
“He certainly never mentioned it to me. I thought he was out there looking at mucky books like most men”
Dell’s mission mirrors that of a 45-year-old man from neighbouring Poplar, who, in 1987, became the first man to reach Neptune in a Borough of Tower Hamlets wheelie bin.
January 28, 2020 at 5:53 am
I’m going to see what I can do with my garden shed.
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January 28, 2020 at 6:36 am
Happy landings! 🙂
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January 28, 2020 at 4:16 pm
Vrooom!
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January 28, 2020 at 10:28 am
Good un, yoof!
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January 29, 2020 at 4:07 am
Cheers Inchy! You owe me money mate.
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January 28, 2020 at 3:26 pm
And when he returns to earth I imagine he will use the garden shed instead of his car to avoid traffic jams. 🙂
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January 28, 2020 at 5:32 pm
Now that it’s just the Mrs and me here, we have an extra wheelie bin. I wonder how far I could get in that puppy with a minimal investment.
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January 29, 2020 at 4:10 am
Probably to Neptune or even farther. You’d be killed instantly when the plastic melted during re-entry though.
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January 29, 2020 at 5:23 pm
Oh, maybe when I’m older an they’re feeding me through a tube.
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February 3, 2020 at 5:44 am
My husband had a massive shed – I’m concerned about it’s aerodynamic abilities owing to size – and it’s made out of tin.. I do think the latch probably has better thermal properties – wonder if this chap is going to do a utube “how to” video?
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February 3, 2020 at 6:29 am
Latch = good
Tin = bad (low melt point)
You Tube = Possibly, if there’s a few earth pounds in it.
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