Spaceship

When that thing blasted off and started rising from its launchpad, I had the strangest feeling of incredulity. To think something that big and cumbersome, with its bulbous attachments clumsily stiff wings, could even move, let alone soar, suddenly struck me as rather absurd. The design of the ship was only functional - a simple, toylike shape with fuel and power lego-ed onto the underside. An unlikely amalgamation of brute force and ingenuity - and yet it was really rising on its blast wave. Maybe what made it fly was some supernatural power. After all, God appeared to rebellious Israel as a column of cloud and fire.

The ship soon diminished to just a fuzzy dirty-white dot against a serene blue background. You couldn't even tell that the indefinite shape was a ship. And yet, the tension and exhilaration deepened, as everyone's attention was focused on an increasingly diminished area. There was a childish fascination with this star glowing in daylight and soaring against the clear sky. And then you remember that the star is actually manmade.

The launch coverage ended with the view from the camera stuck onto the external fuel tank. Now and then the image broke up into static, and those were heartstopping moments, because whe controlling something as unlikely and unwieldly as the ship, no one wanted to lose sight of it, even for a second. If anything were to go wrong, being able to see it happen offers a sense of security in itself, even if the problem eventually proves insoluble. Visual vindication, to some extent. And then finally the tank was dumped - but what you saw on screen was the glazed and blackened underbelly of the ship lifting serenely off the orange hull of the tank, as if it were a second launch. And then it slowly glided forward, the black underbelly sliding past, and as it flew further and further away, the looming black bulk began to take on the recognisable silhouette of our only true spaceship. It was a serene sight. A hopeful sight.

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A short post on the launch of the space shuttle Discovery. The first time I'd seen one happening live, and it's a different kind of thrill. Heh, indulge in a bit of childish fascination and excitement now and again, it's refreshing!

pondered by phoenican @ 26.7.05