Rush - Countdown

Because of Gus Grissom’s birthday I thought this song by Rush, featuring the crew of STS-1—solo by John Young—was appropriate. I think it does a great job explaining the thrill of the launch. Moreover, it celebrates the first shuttle launch. And if there was anyone willing to step up and be prepared for a maiden flight it was Gus. He was ready to be the first American in space, he flew the first Gemini mission and would have flown the first Apollo. Who knows what other firsts he would have pushed us toward. Lyrics below:

Lit up with anticipation
We arrive at the launching site
The sky is still dark, nearing dawn
On the Florida coastline

Circling choppers slash the night
With roving searchlight beams
This magic day when super-science
Mingles with the bright stuff of dreams

Floodlit in the hazy distance
The star of this unearthly show
Venting vapours, like the breath
Of a sleeping white dragon

Crackling speakers, voices tense
Resume the final count
All systems check, T minus nine
As the sun and the drama start to mount

The air is charged
A humid, motionless mass
The crowds and the cameras,
The cars full of spectators pass
Excitement so thick you could cut it with a knife
Technology…high, on the leading edge of life

The earth beneath us starts to tremble
With the spreading of a low black cloud
A thunderous roar shakes the air
Like the whole world exploding

Scorching blast of golden fire
As it slowly leaves the ground
Tears away with a mighty force
The air is shattered by the awesome sound

Like a pillar of cloud
The smoke lingers high in the air
In fascination
With the eyes of the world
We stare…