After a
hiatus far too long and paying Russians millions for each rocket ride
Americans
have a private enterprise rocket on their astronauts’ side
At 12:22 pm
PST on May 30, 2020 Americans on a
Falcon 9 were orbited into space
Finally
after the end of the Shuttle our dependence on Russia to be replaced
An historic
moment thanks to the vision of a noted entrepreneur
Once again
Elon Musk in these turbulent times a success of private enterprise to secure
Years ago
with dissent raging and riots unchecked and Vietnam death and destruction
continuing to soar
Apollo 11
launched into the heavens from a beautiful blue spec to a landing becoming part
of exploration’s lore
On July 20,
1969 Aldrich and Armstrong landed on the Moon
Dreams
ignited maybe that travel to Mars would come soon
Six more
missions landing 12 more astronauts with the last 2 to leave on December 14,
1972
After $30
billion spent, the novelty of landing on the Moon no longer grew
Not to be
and December 14, 1972 Apollo missions would forever end
Semi reusable
Shuttles continued a 135 missions orbiting astronauts trend
At cost of 2
Shuttles destroyed and 14 astronauts dead
But until
Mars’ priorities and budget deficits reared their ugly heads
Putting
Americans and often with other nationalities aboard continued ahead
Finally a
moment came that we would over time learn to dread
On July 8,
2011 Shuttle Atlantis was launched in
the 135th and final Shuttle mission flight
Landing 13
days later at its Kennedy Space Center launching site
Grounded
forever in museums to herald what used to have been
Silently
standing mute but wishing in space we as a nation would once again win
For 9 years,
hat in hand with checkbook out, the only way for Americans to orbit in the
International Space Station
Was to be
launched as a paying passenger launched in a Russian spacecraft from the Russian
nation
Today as the
Falcon 9 climbed flawlessly into the sky to break gravity’s hold
Space X has allowed
us to say to the Russians “no more, welcome America back as the land of the
free and bold.”
© May 30,
2020 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire
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