🚀 go-pugleaf

Has anyone completed Infocom's version of Douglas Adam's
Hitchhiker's Guide?  Don't panic, indeed!  I got stuck
about six months ago, and can't budge.  I even have the
hint book, and have followed all the directions there.
Here I am, on the ship, I got all the objects I needed from
Ford and the girl before the disappeared in the steam bath;
I set up the converter thing with the cup of fake tea
per instructions, and by all accounts merely have to wait
for the meteor storm and hit the switch to transfer to
the next level.  My problem is, the meteor storm won't come!
I have sat around for 100, 200, almost 600 turns at one juncture,
but the expected meteor shower won't materialize.  I have
tried asking the robot and the ship computer about meteors
and meteor showers, but they don't seem to know what I'm
talking about.  Shouldn't my collecting all the correct
items and setting up the machine with the cup of fake tea and
everything (I have tried both plugging it in and stopping just short
of plugging it in, but no meteor shower was forthcoming),
even according to the Invisiclues, do it?  I wait and wait in
vain.  I'd love to finish this thing.  I've got all the items
to go to the Whale's belly, do the plant thing, go back to earth as
both Ford and the girl, etc... but still I sit, waiting for the
meteors?  What do I do?  If someone doesn't help me, I may
panic.