Tuesday, February 04, 2003

Farewell Columbia

The boy and I are huge space fans, we have dreamt of going into space, watching the space shuttle launch and escaping the Earth's gravity and seeing the world as a whole not just our small part.

On Sunday morning as I was waking up and reading my email, a tribute to the brave Austronauts of the Space Shuttle Columbia was in my inbox. Not quite awake, I muttered "I hope this is a joke". The boy came up as I launched my favorite news site and saw the terrible news that the Space Shuttle Columbia had disintergrated upon re-entry hours before.

Even though it does not directly touch our lives, both of us were devestated by the news.

I remembered seventeen years ago as a 13 year old, waking early one morning to watch the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger. But instead of watching the majestic launch I watched the destruction of the graceful craft and the death of seven people.

I have always loved the poem "High Flight" that was used as the tribute to the Challenger Astronauts and I have reprinted it below. In searching for the poem I also found details on the Author

"High Flight"

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue

I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew -

And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand and touched the face of God.