The Green Hills Of Earth, Thread for The Shuttle.

February 1, 2003 | Luis Gonzalez

[Luis Gonzalez]

The Green Hills of Earth

Let the sweet fresh breezes heal me
As they rove around the girth
Of our lovely mother planet
Of the cool, green hills of Earth.

We rot in the moulds of Venus,
We retch at her tainted breath.
Foul are her flooded jungles,
Crawling with unclean death.

[ --- the harsh bright soil of Luna ---
--- Saturn's rainbow rings ---
--- the frozen night of Titan --- ]

We've tried each spinning space mote
And reckoned its true worth:
Take us back again to the homes of men
On the cool, green hills of Earth.

The arching sky is calling
Spacemen back to their trade.
ALL HANDS! STAND BY! FREE FALLING!
And the lights below us fade.

Out ride the sons of Terra,
Far drives the thundering jet,
Up leaps a race of Earthmen,
Out, far, and onward yet ---

We pray for one last landing
On the globe that gave us birth;
Let us rest our eyes on the friendly skies
And the cool, green hills of Earth.

Robert A. Heinlein

[Brad’s Gramma]

Thank you to ALL who have contributed to this beautiful but sad thread. May God be with the families during this horrific time.

[dansangel]

Thank-you for bringing this to us, Luis.

FreedomPoster: Thank-you for the ping. I am sad beyond words. May our astronauts rest in eternal peace.

[MonroeDNA]

Thanks for the ping. What a beautiful poem.

My heart goes out to their families.

[altura]

Thanks for a beautiful thread.

My sister and I wrote music to the Heinlein poem Green Hills of Earth a long time ago in what seems like a galaxy far, far away. I've always loved it.

[ellery]

Thank you, Luis.

[sneakypete]

Thank you for this thread,Luis. I can't think of a more fitting tribute.

[sneakypete]

There is a lot of crying going on down there right now.

I think there may be a lot of crying going on all over the world tonight. They were more than Americans and a Israeli,they were Earthmen and women.

[snopercod]

Thanks.

[alfa6]

Much obligied, Luis

Deepest Regards

alfa6 ;>{

[freeforall]

Countdown


Lit up with anticipation
We arrive at the launching site
The sky is still dark, nearing dawn
On the Florida coastline


Circling choppers slash the night
With roving searchlight beams
This magic day when super-science
Mingles with the bright stuff of dreams


Floodlit in the hazy distance
The star of this unearthly show
Venting vapours, like the breath
Of a sleeping white dragon


Crackling speakers, voices tense
Resume the final count
All systems check, T minus nine
As the sun and the drama start to mount


The air is charged
A humid, motionless mass
The crowds and the cameras,
The cars full of spectators pass
Excitement so thick you could cut it with a knife
Technology...high, on the leading edge of life


The earth beneath us starts to tremble
With the spreading of a low black cloud
A thunderous roar shakes the air
Like the whole world exploding


Scorching blast of golden fire
As it slowly leaves the ground
Tears away with a mighty force
The air is shattered by the awesome sound


Like a pillar of cloud
The smoke lingers high in the air
In fascination
With the eyes of the world
We stare...

Neil Peart
Rush,Signals (1982)

[yoe]

L.Gonzalez, that is beautiful and I thank you - we all thank you!

[tictoc]

You are such an awesome writer, Luis.

Thank you.

[jwalsh07]

Very nice post Luis. God bless them on their final journey.

[Sparta]

This is off ping list subject, but this is necessary. Pray for the families of the dead of shuttle Columbia.

[Sparta]

The problems and screwups NASA has had recently(not counting Columbia) is the result of Congress's refusal to fund the shuttle's replacement, mismanagement by professional government bureaucrats, refusal to look at partial privatation, and the stupid mantra of "Faster, cheaper, better" which wound up producing the Mars probe failures and other bungles.

[Sparta]

Thank you for the poster.

[Sparta]

Thank you for this post. May God bless and keep the families in their hour of need.

[Sparta]

Thank you Reagan Man, I've been looking for that speech by Reagan all day.

[Sparta]

Thanks for the heads up.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Thank you all for adding to this thread.

Your prayers, your thoughts, your tears...our tears.

These men and women worked in near anonymity. Driven not by a search for personal gain, but an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, they flung themselves heavenward and surfed the wild winds of space, taming the vast frozen nothingness that surrounds this vibrant blue sphere we all share.

These are heroes, and not because they perished, but because they lived at all. These fathers, and mothers, sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters who dared to challenge the everlasting cosmic night riding in their metal and fire chariot, are elsewhere now…a better place.

They leave behind grieving families, and heart-broken nations.

Look skyward, we should...all of us, look for a star streaking across the early morning sky, before the kiss of the sun wakes the breeze and dissolves the mists, and bid them Godspeed, these brave souls who dared the wild winds.

"In the skies today we saw destruction and tragedy. Yet farther than we can see there is comfort and hope. In the words of the prophet Isaiah, "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hosts one by one and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."

"The same Creator who names the stars also knows the names of the seven souls we mourn today."

"The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to Earth; yet we can pray that all are safely home."---George W. Bush