anniversary
of Apollo 11–
losing the remote
(Jack Stamm Award, Finalist, 2004)
Published by
Helen Buckingham
Helen Buckingham lives in Wells, UK. Her work appears regularly in journals and anthologies including: Frogpond, The Heron's Nest, Modern Haiku, Haiku in English: The First Hundred Years (W.W. Norton, 2013) and nada annunaad: an anthology of contemporary world haiku (Vishwakarma Publications, 2016). She won first prize in the Martin Lucas Award, 2016. Her most recent collection is the Touchstone Award shortlisted sanguinella (Red Moon Press, 2017).
View all posts by Helen Buckingham
Yes, a lot of humour in this one, and in reality there had to be, as the astronauts weren't exactly expected to get back alive. President Nixon had his memorial speech ready to hand declaring their deaths.
*
escape velocity
the moon pulls oceans
behind Apollo 11
Alan Summers
“Rocket Dreams” Commission 2007
Read/performed U.K. National Poetry Day October 4th 2007 with Space Historian Piers Bizony and NASA images, as part of World Space Week
Apollo 11 facts: 17 things you may not know about the first Moon Landing
Facts about Apollo 11 and the Moon Landing; from how the astronauts went toilet to Neil Armstrong's promise to his nan and the plan if they were stranded
Did a felt-tip save their lives?
"Yes! Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins nearly didn’t make it home when a switch broke. The circuit breaker that activated the ascent engine – ie what got them off the Moon – broke. Aldrin came up with a great solution and used his felt-tip pen to get inside and flick the switch."
British Radio Times quote
I've actually touched a remarkable scale model accurate to 100% and I could have pushed a pencil through it, it was so fragile. How did they do it, meeting so many obstacles?
I'm not even sure there was such a thing as a remote TV gadget when I first saw it, unless my parents said get up and change the channel! :-)
Alan
Thanks Alan….yeh, I watched it live and there were definitely no remote controls back then, in the UK at least. I was talking about the anniversary itself, becoming increasingly disillusioned with each one and preferring to cling to the original memory…..though I'll admit this recent set of celebrations has left me feeling pretty emotional.
The National Geographic drama-documentary of the Mars landing was interesting though!
stargazers
a glimpse of Mars along
the streets of Hull
Alan Summers
Publication Credit: Blithe Spirit 26.2 (Summer 2016)
I'm sure you'll get the musical reference too! :-)
Moon …
Land…
The Loneliness is
Cracked
Warmly…
Don’t leave me
Wonderful humorous and astute senryu capturing the way we depend on technology on the grand scale as well as the ridiculously small scale. Well-done!
Thanks so much, Annette!
I found this very humorous, Helen as, in our house, someone would lose the remote or sit on it and turns off the sound at the most important part of a programme! :)
marion