Author : NASA
Image: Astronaut John Glenn Entering his Mercury
capsule aboard the Mercury- Atlas rocket
(here)
Note:
On February 20, 1962 Glenn lifted off into space aboard his Mercury Atlas 6 (MA-6) rocket and became the first American to orbit the Earth. After orbiting the Earth 3 times, Friendship 7 landed in the Atlantic Ocean 4 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds later, just East of Grand Turk Island in the Bahamas. Glenn and his capsule were recovered by the Navy Destroyer Noa, 21 minutes after splashdown. - Wiki
Why mankind chose to go
‘It is not easy ,it is hard’ he said so
JFK voiced it loud and clear
He capped it up with a tall order
‘Before the end of the decade
We’ll have a man in space’ he said
Lots of reservations lots of questions
Safety factors and health considerations
A target was set
It was met
but just!
Yuri
Gagarin on April 12, 1961
Was the first man to orbit in space, a Russian
The US came later with a sub-orbital
When Alan Shepard was launched for just a while
But who showed the world the following year
To orbit the Earth beyond doubt
It was John Glenn’s victorious entry
Space exploration sparked a reality
What with the extent of cooperation
Mega Labs and Space Stations
Were shared among the ‘spacemen’
With a mission
One big step forward for mankind
When Neil and Buzz stepped on the moon
Sending astronauts up was less of a burden
Mach 2 landing caused some consternation
Capsules landing in ocean’s waters
Was the alternative for the better
Better yet on April 12, 1981
NASA launched its Space Shuttle program
Smooth landing was then a breeze
In between there were some tragedies
The honeymoon came to an end in 2011
when the space Shuttle was retired
The current Administration
made it a home-coming of sorts
Placing the program to the back burner slot
All is not lost though
as there are entrepreneurs
Offering space tourism as an option
For those with extra cash to throw around
For Abhra's hosting at
d"Verse : Poetics -
home-coming