Space Odity...

«Os 18 alunos dos ensinos básico e secundário de Oeiras que tentaram hoje falar com o astronauta brasileiro Marcos Pontes, actualmente a bordo da Estação Espacial Internacional (ISS, na sigla em inglês), não conseguiram estabelecer comunicação com o engenho aeronáutico, por razões ainda desconhecidas. Entre as 11h45 e as 11h55, a ISS manteve-se sempre em modo automático, reservado à transmissão de dados, sem que em nenhum momento o astronauta - que estava avisado do contacto - tenha comutado o modo para manual, para poder ouvir e responder às perguntas dos estudantes portugueses».

in PÚBLICO (6 de Abril de 2006)


E vem-nos à lembrança uma letra batida...

Ground Control to Major Tom
Ground Control to Major Tom
Take your protein pills
And put your helmet on

Ground Control to Major Tom
Commencing countdown,
Engines on
Check ignition
And may God's love be with you

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
Liftoff

This is Ground Control
To Major Tom
You've really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now it's time to leave the capsule
If you dare

This is Major Tom to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating
In a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today

For here
am I sitting in a tin can
Far above the world
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do

Though I'm past
one hundred thousand miles
I'm feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell my wife I love her very much
She knows

Ground Control to Major Tom
Your circuit's dead,
There's something wrong
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you...

Here am I floating
round my tin can
Far above the Moon
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do...

DAVID BOWIE