DIARY - For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me.
Date: 2009-07-20 16:47:03
Author: Pat Kent
"Watery eyes of the last sighing seconds,
blue reflections mute and dim
beckon tearful child of wonder
to repentance of the sin.
And the blind and lusty lovers
of the great eternal lie
go on believing nothing
since something has to die.
And the ape's curiostiy -
money power wins,
and the yellow soft mountains move under him.
I'm wth you L.E.M.
though it's a shame that it had to be you.
The mother ship is just a blip
from your trip made for two.
I'm with you boy's, so please employ just a little extra care.
It's on my mind, I'm left behind
when I should have ben there.
Walking with you.
And the limp face hungry viewers
fight to fasten with their eyes
like the man hung on the trapeze
whose fall will satisfy.
And congratulate each other
on their rare and wondrous deed
that their begrudged money bought
to sow the monkey's seed.
And the yellow soft mountains
they grow very still
witness as intrusion the humanoid thrill"
People normally remember the worldwide catastrophic events, assassinations, earthquakes, tsunami that occur during their lives; the positive achievements normally get forgotten in terms of the "where were you when such and such happened?" I can remember where I was and who I was with when they announced the death of JF Kennedy, John Lennon, Princess Diana and several other notable people or celebrities.
But, there aren't many "joyous" occasions that I can remember where I could readily answer that question, other than England winning the World Cup in 1966 and the first moon landing.
In 1969 I was thirteen and living with my Mum and Dad in a Council flat in the Elephant & Castle area of London; not the most salubrious of districts, particularly for a young boy growing up with an interest in science and astronomy. [It did have loads of other things going for it that helped in terms of general boyhood development a short time later....However, an appreciation of the space programme wasn't required for that].
My Mum and Dad did everything humanly and financially they could to support my interest in science, and 40 years ago, on the nights in the run up to July 21st 1969, they let me sit up through the nights to watch the whole spectacle of the Apollo 11 moon landing unfold through grainy black and white TV pictures and over the crackling, static-filled radio broadcasts. For a thirteen year old boy brought up on Dan Dare comics and Gerry Anderson TV this was the start of the biggest adventure ever; this was making all those stories real. This was the real start of my hero's explorations and my dreams. At that time it was easy for a thirteen year old to think that in a few years we would be going to the moon regularly and then Mars, and who knows where else after that?
I've never lost my sense of wonder and I still marvel at how the Apollo and the preceding space missions showed what the human race can achieve when they have, and work, to a common goal. I am certain that all of that endeavour, that drive and that courage is what spurred a lot of kids, like me, during the 60's and early 70's to look beyond the world outside their own front door differently and want to challenge and participate.
Such a pity therefore, that in just a few short years all that endeavour, courage and bravery displayed by NASA and the Russian Space Agency workers and crews was lost in the face of public indifference and apathy. Although the space programme was built on the back of a cold war arms race, it also brought a hugely positive number of benefits. One simply being in that publicly the world had heroes that were ordinary men and women who tested and pushed the bounds of human knowledge, spirit, resolve and courage.
I still remain in awe and admiration at their accomplishments of 40 years ago.
Today sees the 40th anniversary of Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins undertaking the final stages of their, and mankinds first, lunar landing.
The lyric above is taken from the Jethro Tull song, "For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me" The Michael Collins of the title was the Command Module pilot who never got to walk on the moon in that mission, he went all the way there and stayed in the car, so to speak. The "Me" of the song relates to Ian Anderson the song's writer, and "Jeffrey" was his old school mate and later band member.
The story goes it was about being different and isolated and drew comparisons betwen Collins, Anderson and his old friend. I think the song sums up those sort of feelings associated with the landing nicely; there's a bit of me, and probably every other kid who followed the landing at that time, which empathises with Michael Collins; We all went there, and like Collins we never got to walk with Armstrong and Aldrin on the moon.
40 years on, despite the awe and admiration I have for this group of now 70-80 year old astronauts I look back and think what a bloody waste and lost opportunity for the human race.
The Apollo programme was cancelled on financial grounds as America also struggled with an increasing war burden from Vietnam and increasing public apathy to more moon landings.
We now have an orbiting International Space Station but that would have happened anyway if we had continued on our journey immediately after the moon and it was simply offered as a sop to NASA and allowed the military to maintain funding for less public aspirations for the use of space.
40 years on we could have been celebrating this anniversary of the first moon landings with a humans on Mars. We might also have a legacy of heroes that really match up to the use of the word: Not pop stars or footballers with defalted ethics and morals and inflated values and ego's but real heroes who risked and gave their lives in the same spirit of human exploration, expansion and excitement as the Columbus', Cook's and Magellan's of the past.
So, to Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins and all the crews of Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, the STS, Vostok and Soyuz as well as the likes of Chuck Yeager and Scott Crossfield who preceded them and made it possible along with all the people who made it all happen on the ground, thank you for letting me grow up while you did it, my world was a better place for it.
All we need now is a mission to Mars and a new breed of hero to take us there.
Regards
Pat K
© Pat Kent 2009 – All rights reserved. Pat Kent exercises his right to be identified as the author 2009