With so much time on my hands, and with my casual grounding in astronomy (I did take an astronomy class in Junior College but did not do well because I never quite understood the mathematics involved in such concepts as right ascension and right declination and such), I frequently thought, as I have said, in cosmic terms. I was also influenced by Arthur C. Clarke's books such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and many more that I read, even on alert. The film certainly had a lasting impact on me.
Instead of space stations on the moon and manned expeditions to Mars and beyond, we built launch control facilities and missile sites for nuclear weapons aimed at one another. We created vast reserves of weapons of war rather than building vehicles for peace and exploration (discounting the notion of these weapons being for deterrence rather than for actual use).
It's now 2010. While we have an international space station orbiting the Earth, we haven't been back to the moon in decades. We have landed unmanned devices on Mars, and manned expeditions are in the planning stages. We have space telescopes in orbit, not just spy satellites. So, there has been progress. But had I been told back in 1976 of our progress in space exploration in 2010, I still feel that I would have been disappointed at what we had not accomplished, so far.
Trajectory
There should be times
when those temporarily tired of this living
would be left alone.
As with waves crawling over each other
only to collapse on the land,
crossing takes strength and will,
diluting purpose.
So many stones unearthed are slow to flight.
Still solid with the soil,
none has desire to trade
one orbit for the next, or another beyond.
We have not gone farther. And in this betrayal,
our vengeful, silver vessels
cross only the war-like palms of our limitations.
A trick turning on the present crowds
who marvel at each trivial jump
exceeding their own.
Some future sense,
poised off receding planets,
may survey back before launch
and see between our few floating, muted metals
those who spun off their chance to escape.
Instead of space stations on the moon and manned expeditions to Mars and beyond, we built launch control facilities and missile sites for nuclear weapons aimed at one another. We created vast reserves of weapons of war rather than building vehicles for peace and exploration (discounting the notion of these weapons being for deterrence rather than for actual use).
It's now 2010. While we have an international space station orbiting the Earth, we haven't been back to the moon in decades. We have landed unmanned devices on Mars, and manned expeditions are in the planning stages. We have space telescopes in orbit, not just spy satellites. So, there has been progress. But had I been told back in 1976 of our progress in space exploration in 2010, I still feel that I would have been disappointed at what we had not accomplished, so far.
Trajectory
There should be times
when those temporarily tired of this living
would be left alone.
As with waves crawling over each other
only to collapse on the land,
crossing takes strength and will,
diluting purpose.
So many stones unearthed are slow to flight.
Still solid with the soil,
none has desire to trade
one orbit for the next, or another beyond.
We have not gone farther. And in this betrayal,
our vengeful, silver vessels
cross only the war-like palms of our limitations.
A trick turning on the present crowds
who marvel at each trivial jump
exceeding their own.
Some future sense,
poised off receding planets,
may survey back before launch
and see between our few floating, muted metals
those who spun off their chance to escape.
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