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

[Sabertooth]

Thanks for this thread, Luis.

I'm struck, in this tragedy, that the Shuttle Columbia was carrying the first Israeli astronaut, a hero of the 1981 bombing of the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq, and the debris came down over Palestine, Texas. All on the eve of another war in the Mideast, which will involve the U.S., Israel, Iraq, and Palestine.

No human design could lay beneath this. There is much to mourn and ponder this morning.

[Luis Gonzalez]

They are resting comfortably, craddled in the vastness of His hands.

[EllaMinnow]

Thank you both for bringing a touch of beauty to this terrible day.

God is holding them in his hand.

[weikel]

It wasn't terrorism or sabotage NASA security is pretty damn tight. No this was an equipment failure.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"There is much to mourn and ponder this morning."

Indeed there is.

[TexasBarak]

A most appropriate post! Heinlein himself would say that we shouldn't let this stop us, but should instead expand and concentrate our efforts on more efficient spaceflight.
And, as an aside, I'm so glad that we have George W. Bush as our leader right now- a man more likely to say "We must not quit, but instead accelerate our efforts, to honor their memory", than "this isn't safe, and it's too expensive, and I"m shutting it down".

[Sabertooth]

It wasn't terrorism or sabotage NASA security is pretty damn tight. No this was an equipment failure.

I agree. I don't believe this disaster is the result of any human plan. At times like this, we plumb the deeper meanings, beyond the material realm.

[weikel]

So you take this as a sign from God( or the Gods or whatever you believe in)... yeah its kinda ominous. What do you think its a sign of?

[LonePalm]

Thanks Luis, 'nuf said.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[tallhappy]

Here's the thread from the other day, Where were you when the Challenger exploded?

17 long years.

Still -- it seems like seconds, like yesterday.

_sigh_

[Sabertooth]

yeah its kinda ominous. What do you think its a sign of?

Sorting through it. I have some thoughts, but it's early. This probably won't be the thread where I speculate, I'm not sure it would be appropriate. I'll flag you if I come up with anything coherent.

Thanks for your comments on the other site, BTW.

[EternalVigilance]

[Luis Gonzalez]

Pray for the crew, pray for their familes, and for the ones left behind who will continue to tame the winds of space and reach for the stars.

We go on.

[tallhappy]

A most appropriate post! Heinlein himself would say that we shouldn't let this stop us, but should instead expand and concentrate our efforts on more efficient spaceflight.

I think Heinlein would say this is a wake up call. That we have become complacent about space and that this sad incident can kick start us again to beging progressing in space use.

17 years between such disasters is not bad (small consolation). 17 years and the same model, same tech, no progress is not good.

These great heros who've perished never die in vain.

Yet in our vanities we can not always recognize all their gifts. Let's try not to do that.

[JohnHuang2]

Re: 53 -- beautifully stated, hermano. You've captured the mood exactly.

[Luis Gonzalez]

We go on.

It's what we have to do, it's what they would ask of us.

We go on.

[sweetliberty]

Very beautiful and timely. It is such a sad day.

[giotto]

Strange that this happened within four days of the anniversary of the only other shuttle disaster.

[My back yard]

Glad you did this. It deserves its own thread imo.

[Luis Gonzalez]

It does.