Reflection on transformation inspired by recent NASA article

The recent journey of my son Chris and his daughters Lilly and Emily to the Cocoa Beach region of Florida for spring training with Sack A Wa paddlers during March

Arriving in Florida

brings to mind sitting for lunch under a mock-up of the Saturn V rocket at the cafeteria of the Kennedy Space Centre during a visit in the 21st century, on NSCC College business, to the Community College on site that trains technicians for NASA.



Saturn 5 Launch

In my youth, the accomplishment of Apollo 11 landing on the moon and the safe return of Apollo 13 from the disaster that threatened the lives of the astronauts were events that gripped my imagination and accelerated my desire to work in the engineering of these electronic systems and computers that made these adventures possible. Research done by Kevin Fong of the Guardian found that when an oxygen tank blew during the 1970 Nasa moonshot, the successful rescue mission was thanks to Nasa organisation, not improvisation. Reflecting on that time when the massive rocket of brute force lifted the Apollo craft from earth with light as bright as the sun and sound proclaiming in thunder as shattering as any of the proclamations of ancient gods, I realize that we have transformed from a human privilege to have dominion over the peace and health of the Florida residents, manatee, dolphins, and other creatures in the waters, and the birds wildly scattering... to people who see the need to organize to protect our common home and the many species that face extinction as a consequence of our societal abuse of water and atmosphere in our throw away economy. The theme of transition when searched on my Ponder Patterns Blog brings to the top the type of decisions facing us and some connections to our financial, spiritual and moral health. The theme of transformation from contingency and chaos, in the Apollo 13 1970 event, to organization was started by flight director Gene Kranz when he passed the baton to a fresh incoming team under flight director Glynn Lunney. A search of the Stories from Plummer blog for “transformation” reveals links for our personal transformation in practices of contemplation and openness to the mystery of the mystical that, thankfully, is reconnecting us to people and nature as kin.

References

(2020, February 29). 50 Years on – how Apollo 13's near disastrous mission is .... Retrieved March 5, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/feb/29/apollo-13-how-teamwork-and-tenacity-turned-disaster-into-triumph