Without an Orbit, Singing in Deep Sky. APSS #0

On 30 Jul, the day that Space Engine 0.9.8 launched, I noted down some personal outlooks and imaginations about Auckland's Undergraduate CUBESAT Plans. These were mostly falsified by now,




A project. Here it comes.


Do you think that the world is good enough, while, whenever you take that belief and live on for a while, you get frustrated by the reality? Things are not fine. At times we noticed the defects and lived on, letting negligence give the world more space for deterioration.

The previous paragraph was just intended for motivation. On the long run, I was bad enough to let inspirations slip away all the time - have I been working on organic chemical Penrose tiling?

Well, I just feel confident for now - or rather, have become assured that what it is like to be capable of significant challenges. I see it in them.

It's a tough way up ahead, and the team seem or sound rather naive - while they don't. Why not just marvel? Competition-wise, they are some open-minded and scientifically literate stage 1 students, as well as excellent designers and competent communicators.

On the other hand, I would wish to be able to stay alert and critical. We don't know what is up there, and as a bunch of future scientists, we'd better get aware that we don't know what's around, either.

Greenhouse effect was going out of earth's control, water bodies acidifying, traffic jams, the global spread of physical diseases and malicious doctrines, declining biodiversity nightmarish maritime pollution, and so on.

Recognise a challenge, investigate it and follow the precedents. We will need to explore new routes at the end, but that's life where we all are.

As a general rule of thumb, we shall not carry around a particular idea over a period that is too long - yet I get to write every day.

For today, I briefly imagined observing the rocket launch - along with how different it can be from my imagination (for example, we must stay indoors, and the machine is likely to be carried as an expressionless secondary load by some major launches), how I will gaze upon the rocket trail and at C, who will - inextricably hopefully will - be sitting or standing by my side seeing what our project leaves in the sky.  I think of a shortstory idea.

It is just another beginning.

73,
Frank