Cosmic Fireflies
Story Musgrave flew into space six times. His training began in the Apollo era. He was capcom for many flights, including the Skylab missions, and he completed EVA's, including repairs to Hubble. In total, he has logged over 1281 hours off of Earth's surface. He certainly has had ample opportunity to reflect upon his circumstances and develop a sense of being space bound. Further, amongst his many accolades he has a master of arts in literature. This combination should remedy the typical astronauts angst at expressing feelings. And it does, as Musgrave, in his disc, portrays a warm, special dimension to space travel. There are 13 separate tracks on the disc. They alternate between a poem with musical accompaniment and purely musical tracks. Musgrave wrote the poems and does his own recitations. His voice doesn't have the polish of professional actors, yet enthusiasm and honest feelings are palpably present. And, of course, each of the spoken passages have a direct relation to space. The first poem presents the 'rush' of the rockets launch. An underlying direct feed from an Atlantis launch amplifies the sensation. Another gives a timely and provocative recital of the changing views of Earth seen out the orbiting shuttle's window. Still another tackles the justification for putting so much natural resources into space exploration. The title piece, Cosmic Fireflies, captures the bedazzlement, like fireworks, that astronauts envision while passing through the Earth's magnetosphere. Each poem has its own rhythm and sense and each evokes an image or feeling well aligned with space. As a collection, they combine into a journey from the launch, through controlled flight and into the free floating realm that pushes to transcend the pull of gravity and even diminish the continual roar of competition.
Story Musgrave  (Author)    Format: Audio CD
{"Package Dimensions": "5.55 x 4.97 x 0.54 inches; 2.83 Ounces", "Date First Available": "December 30, 2008"}