26th Mission...
/26th Mission – Endeavour Is Coming Home
I would never have thought that I would drive on a freeway and on the one that was crossing above my head will have a space shuttle rolling in Downtown Los Angeles. And for the next 2 days, I followed this road trip of this beautiful Space Bird “Endeavour” to the California Science Center - her 12-mile journey on the streets of LA (2012).
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This time, Endeavour is getting a special treatment
Not to fly, but in full equipment to get a ride
On back of the Boeing 747 Super Jet.
It is time to wave with her robotic arm “Good Bye”
To the glistening galaxies, to the Milky Way,
And the friendly winks of million stars.
She carried twenty five missions on her wings,
Endeavour helped us to see
The Barcelona Olympic dreams,
Fixed the Hubble telescope and much more.
She is coming home, where she was born,
With no doubt, here, in California’s South.
Like magnificent swan in the sky
She glides over the ocean,
The skyscrapers and the famous Hollywood signs;
She is the biggest star of all stars.
Endeavour - the crown jewel
Of American space exploration.
The pride of the nation!
No sonic boom this time, just touchdown in LAX.
She is moving in a 12-mile lavish parade
On the streets of LA.
Look at the eyes of the kids
Holding their breath!
On these carrying ginormous platform tires,
She looks like a cheerful girl on rollerblades.
What are technological marvels!
O-o, what is this trouble with her wings? -
Getting stack! I’m sure, all these engineers
Know very well how to measure cosmic speed
And mega galactic distance, but… old narrow streets?!
Toyota Tundra has no problem to go;
Great advertisement you know.
Oh, never mind, let’s trim branches a bit
And cut just four hundred trees. I know
The locals will much disagree with such glory!
O-o, and this Gulliver-sized shark fin,
Her stabilizer I mean...Oh, don’t worry,
Let just raise the lines of electric power.
Even remove some poles.
Can you see? The paparazzi are everywhere,
Like grasshoppers, jumping
On the survived poles,
On the roofs, chasing each other
For the next breaking news.
Endeavour reaches the final spot!
But no matter what, the major is already there
In full shining armor on his victorious stage.
26th Mission – is short and slow.
Endeavour, welcome home!
And no more open space! No more!
No other way, but to stay
On such a boring display.
By Petrouchka Alexieva
From: United States