I wrote this poem two weeks after Odysseus landed. This marked the first return to the moon by an American vessel since December 19, 1972. Odysseus landed on February 22, 2024. It was also the first successful commercial lunar landing. It was also the first successful usage of cryogenic engines in deep space.
The Greeks told the good myth of the hero Odysseus who led a long arduous journey to return home
Today, I tell you the good truth of another hero Odysseus who also led a long arduous journey to return home
To the space aficionado layman and those actively working in the field,
I loudly proclaim thus:
February 22, 2024 23:23 UTC was a moment to be remembered
marking the end of the flight of the lunar lander Odysseus
lasting over 7.5 days
or if we want to be more scientifically exact,
7 days 17 hours and 18 minutes
Launched February 15 1:05 AM EST / 6:05 UTC
Landed February 22 6:23PM EST / 23:23 UTC
Odysseus moved at a brisk pace through space,
not even 8 days of time but well over 620,000 miles of distance
