Part 1 January 23, 2021 – International Space Station 6 PM, UTC The liftoff for the expedition was uneventful, but it took a lot longer to reach the space station than they expected. Some missions… More
Reblog – Showcase Art – ‘Oasts and Rapeseed in Kent’ – A watercolour painting by Brian Tucker
For those of you who enjoy art, especially watercolor paintings, Brian Tucker is amazing! This type of art usually has such an ethereal quality to it but his work has such definition, depth, and richness about it. Just beautiful! Enjoy! I want to thank Goff for pointing me in his direction. 🙂
Image Attribution © Brian Tucker, Oasts and Rapeseed in Kent, (Date Unstated)
Source Attributionhttps://brianswatercolours.blog/buy-my-paintings/#jp-carousel-2540
Bridge To The Stars – Part 1
Those applying for positions in the current space program would explore and conduct experiments where humans have never been: the lunar South Pole. They are called the Artemis Generation astronauts. With NASA’s plans for the future of exploration, new astronauts would fly farther into space than ever before on lunar missions and possibly be the first humans to fly on to Mars.
The International Space Station, built by multiple nations, is the largest single structure humans ever put into space. It was completed in 2011, and the station continually evolves to include new missions and experiments and has been occupied by three to six astronauts on each expedition since 2000.
It was exciting to realize the International Space Station would likely fill with more females than males at some point in history, something in the making for many years. Men got edged out as more and more female candidates flooded the STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. Even more importantly, the women also started outperforming their fellow male candidates on entrance tests, showing better adaptability to harsh environments by passing the NASA long-duration flight astronaut physical in higher degrees. The female candidates also seemed to possess better emotional stamina than the male candidates and had equal, if not better, skills in leadership, teamwork, and communications.
All the candidates, male and female, reported for training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston and spent two years learning necessary astronaut skills like spacewalking, operating the space station, flying T-38 jet planes, and controlling a robotic arm. Once they had successfully passed this training, it was on to the Space Station. Those accepted were a small fraction of the class but were the top of their class. And for the first time in history, the ratio of women was higher than the men. Out of the six qualified astronauts to board the ISS, five of them were women. It was groundbreaking to witness.
The new astronauts – Victoria Eddleston, Jennifer Botel, Kendra Lakeland, Sue Cummings, Carol Fitzgerald, and Jeff Stanton – the team considered Expedition 64, was scheduled to depart on their first mission on January 22, 2021. It was the first time there would only be American astronauts at the ISS probably because the other nations wanted the USA to iron out a predominantly female crew’s logistics, problem-solving them before the other countries sent in their top females. America was happy to do that. After all, it was history in the making. This country always did like being at Number One.
The crew of Expedition 64 were excited for their take-off date as they got their affairs in order at home. All those with families spent as much quality as possible, knowing they wouldn’t see them for at least six months. There were two – Victoria and Jeff – not married and also didn’t have any children. But even for them, they got in as much time with their friends knowing it would be a long six months of hard work and no play.
Life as they knew it would change in two weeks.
TO BE CONTINUED ON TUESDAY…
Wordle #468
What a surprise. All these books are lying in the middle of the street. I’d have to make time now to read instead of always dancing. But first, I need to get some gas into the car. I got up from the grass only to bend slightly to see a fly landing on my purse. Oh, what a sight! Black with purple polka dots on his back. So strange! I needed to meet my boss after my shift on Wednesday. Or was it today? Where did that flash of light come from?
Wrestling to wake up from the weirdest dream.
Savage
at times nature is cruel
maintaining a life
becomes desperate attempts
at losing the fight
to the victor go the spoils
sustenance or power taken
sometimes both
rewards taken by force
because kill or be killed
rules the animal kingdom
driven by instinct
to win the battle at all costs
…i’m glad i’m not a savage
Contentedness
Having gratitude ensures wanting much less.
Reblog – like wind, like youth by Byung A. Fallgren
I was amused by the imagery this piece evoked but the wisdom of this piece is spot on! Enjoy!
Strength Stands Alone
whether out of beauty or pain
a soulful release emanates
at the precise time
its necessary
a body’s need of expression
earns it a required stability
these intermittent flashes of emotion
sparking the next step into a newfound reality
each successful misery
ensures durability, strength and endurance
every joy experienced
gains a person hope, satisfaction and strength
we have to trust in ourselves
for life is given to us
but our nature leads us
let it not go astray
Graceful Exit
would that death
were a planned event
no loose ends
affairs put in order
duties transferred
things wrapped up
much like jobs you depart
an escape from this world
that created no hardships
for those left behind
people prepared to face your demise
suffering only a delicate melancholy
rather than a devastating loss
pulling them under
an easy, loving goodbye
no pain to speak of
and feeling all right
when our current reality
abruptly stops for us and them
the finale foretold
gracefully accepted
Carl Scharwath
TRUE BEING
For a moment,
Frozen in the window of my soul.
Immersed in a disquieting vision.
Knowing I will never see you again.
NOMAD
The moon quivers in the morning ecstasy
Red roses dance with reflective dewdrops
Heaven’s knowledge and eternity held
In the rapture or a wanderer’s anguish.
AXIS
The passion shall escape
While the past,
Flickering hungry
Is bleached invisible.
You gaze at
The unfeigned light
Walking out determined
From your world.
Knowing how it feels
To be broken
And have a black hole
On your timeline.
CREPUSCULE
Living between all boundaries
the light is always within grasp
winding through the face of another.
Entangled in the capsule of darkness
waiting to move forward in love
and paint a new beginning.
~~~
Carl Scharwath has appeared globally with 150+ journals selecting his poetry, short stories, interviews, essays, plays or art photography. His photography was featured on the cover of 6 journals. Two poetry books ‘Journey To Become Forgotten’ (Kind of a Hurricane Press) and ‘Abandoned’ (ScarsTv).
If you’d like to be featured on The Short of It, click here for the submissions guidelines.
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Without
in a world not gifted with…
a photographer’s keen eye
a musician’s in tune rhythm
a sculpture’s deft hands
a poet’s thoughtful expression
a singer’s thrilling voice
a dancer’s grace in movement
a writer’s crafty imagination
an actor’s heartfelt emotion
an artist’s painted or drawn strokes of genius
you’d be a witness to its blandness
and we’d all be less for it
