Now To Begin
Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.
The Mir station seen against space during one of the Shuttle-Mir missions.
Credit: NASA
Poem: here, no angels sing, nor winged cherubim, nor seraphim that hover over a god's throne...
ode to Mir (1986 - 2001) & ISS (1998 - )
here, no angels sing
nor winged cherubim
nor seraphim that hover over a god's throne
here are only
Bortinzhener Korablya
Komandyr Korablya
Kosmonavt Issledovatel
here are only
the song of antennae
wingnuts seeking quorum of thread
circuits who commune with quantums
here, urging the bow on
Leif Eriksson, Cheng Ho,
& Phoenicians & Polynesians
whose names only the winds recall
here, squaring the circle
Fernão de Magalhães
Lowell Smith
Yuri Gagarin
here, we cast off umbilicals
Magellans of the 92 minutes
construct a kite of cabins
a flock of tetrahedrons
here, chaos of airhoses & seals
the hatching of crew
motherboards, software, templates
our learning curve is ballistic
here we calibrate
gauges, docking radar
for all who start this journey
so others may complete
here we celebrate
all who explore
where curiosity leads
now to begin!
Notes:
Bortinzhener Korablya (Rus) - Flight Engineer.
Komandyr Korablya (Rus) - Spacecraft Commander.
Kosmonavt Issledovatel (Rus) - Cosmonaut Researcher.
Leif Erikkson - 1st Viking to reach America.
Cheng Ho - led westermost Chinese expedition, reaching Africa.
Phoenecians - the 1st to circumnavigate Africa, c. 600 BC.
Polynesians - navigated as far afield as Hawaii & New Zealand.
Fernão de Magalhães - (real name of Ferdinand Magellan) led first circumnavigation of the world, by
sea, 1519-22, until killed; voyage completed by Juan Sebastian de Elcora.
Lowell Smith - led first round-the-world flight, 1924.
Yuri Gagarin - first to orbit the world, 1961.
Magellans of the 92 minutes - duration of an orbit at the 400 kms height of the space station.
--Keith Gottschalk