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As today’s final spacewalk of the Hubble Servicing Mission begins, it seems very fitting to share a poem written by my friend Stuart Atkinson. Stuart is a poet, a blogger, a member of Unmanned Spaceflight.com (which means he is a Photoshopper extraordinaire!) and a passionate promoter of space exploration. Stuart has written many touching poems previously about the Mars rovers, the Phoenix lander, the Kepler mission and many other missions, but this verse about the final human mission to the Hubble Space Telescope is priceless. See below for “The Final Pilgrims” and check out Stu’s website Cumbrian Skies for more great poetry, images and information.
Thanks, Stu, for sharing your poem with Universe Today!
Wow, stupendous, heart moving, This poem is so damn beautiful. Even if I wanted to I would never be able to appreciate this work. Stuart Atkinson’s work is just amazing, beyond the words I can summon. This may be because I am a simpleton in the world of poetry, but this is definitely a grade a work.
Definitely a moving piece that I can truly relate to. While watching the live NASA TV feed of EVA 5, I confess to mixed emotions on this mission. This is the last shuttle mission to anywhere but the ISS. How long until American astronauts will launch with a destination other than the ISS (or to the ISS from KSC, for that matter)?. At the same time, I’m keenly looking forward to the new, improved HST and the cutting edge science that will ensue. Hopefully the new data my provide Stu and others with the inspiration to wax poetically about Hubble & the universe it is studying. Thanks to Nancy for this story.
Oops, should read “How long until American astronauts will launch with a destination other than the ISS (or to the ISS from KSC after the last shuttle mission, for that matter)?.”