2002: Voices of the past

        Here Icarus fell; these waves beheld his fate,
        Which drew the daring wings to their embrace;
        Here the flight ended; here the event took place,
        Which those unborn will yearn to emulate.
        Thrilling and welcome was his sorrow's weight,
        Since, dying, he achieved immortal praise;
        Happy that, since he died above disgrace,
        So fair a prize his loss should compensate.
        With such a fall well may he be content,
        If, soaring to the sky like the dawn and brave,
        He with too fierce a flame was burnt and spent.
        His name now echoes loud in every wave,
        Across the sea, throughout the elements;
        Who in the world ever gained such a grave?
 
 
 

"...Engines throttling up; three engines now at a hundred-and-four percent."
 

        Here Icarus fell...
 

"Challenger, go at throttle up."
 

                             ...these waves beheld his fate,
        Which drew the daring wings to their embrace...
 

"Roger; go at throttle up..."
 

        Here the flight ended...
 

                                  "...uh-oh--"
 

                                      ...here the event took place...
 

"One minute fifteen seconds.  Velocity twenty-nine hundred feet per second.  Altitude nine nautical miles.  Downrange distance seven nautical miles..."
 

        ...Which those unborn will yearn to emulate.
 

"FIDO, Trajectory..."

"Go ahead."

"Trajectory, FIDO."

"Flight, FIDO, filter's got discreting sources.  We're go."
 

        Thrilling and welcome was his sorrow's weight...
 

"Flight, GC, we've had negative contact, loss of downlink."

"OK, all operators, watch your data carefully."
 

        ...Since, dying, he achieved immortal praise...
 

"Flight, FIDO, till we get stuff back he's on his cue card for abort modes."

"Procedures, any help?"

"Negative, Flight, no data."
 

        ...Happy that, since he died above disgrace...
 

"Flight controllers here are looking very carefully at the situation.  Obviously a major malfunction..."

    "Flight, GC, negative downlink."

    "Copy."

"...We have no downlink."
 

        ...So fair a prize his loss should compensate.
 

"Flight, FIDO."

"Go ahead."

"RSO reports vehicle exploded."
 
 
 

"...Copy..."
 
 

"FIDO, can we get any reports from recovery forces?"

"Stand by."
 

        With such a fall well may he be content...
 

    "GC, all operators, contingency procedures in effect."

"We have a report from the flight dynamics officer that the vehicle has exploded.  Flight director confirms that. We are looking at checking with the recovery forces to see what can be done at this point."
 

        ...If, soaring to the sky like the dawn and brave...
 

"FIDO, Flight..."

"Go ahead."

"LSO and recovery forces, any contacts?"

    "Contingency procedures are in effect... um..."

"We're working with them, Flight."

"OK."
 

        ...He with too fierce a flame was burnt and spent.
 

"...We will report more as we have information available.  Again, to repeat, we have a report relayed through the flight dynamics officer that the vehicle has exploded.  We are now looking at all the contingency operations and awaiting word from any recovery forces in the downrange field."
 

        His name now echoes loud in every wave...
 

"Flight, FIDO, for what it's worth, the filter shows 'em in the water."

"Copy."
 

        ...Across the sea, throughout the elements...
 

"FIDO, Flight...  FIDO, Flight..."

"Go ahead."

"Did the RSO's have an impact point?"

"Stand by."
 

        ...Who ... indeed ... ever gained such a grave?
 

"This is mission control, Houston.  We have no additional word at this time."
 
 

        Early in the morning sunlight
        Soaring on the wings of dawn
        Here I'll live and die with my wings in the sky
        And I won't come down no more

        Higher than the birds I'm flying
        Crimson skies of ice and fire
        Borne on Wings of Steel, I have so much to feel
        And I won't come down no more

        Sail on, sail on
        I will rise each day to meet the dawn
        So high, so high
        I've climbed the mountains of the sky
        Without my wings, you know I'd surely die
        I found my freedom flying high
        I've climbed the mountains of the sky

        Floating on a cloud of amber
        Searching for the rainbow's end
        Earth so far below me; I'm here alone
        And I won't come down no more
 

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis... for the voices of the past are not forgotten.