FAREWELL

    Many years later, when the data
    From that sad day was analysed,
    NASA was surprised to find
    That at the exact moment of Cassini's demise
    Every rover, lander and telescope
    Scattered across Earth's night sky
    Fell silent. Just for a moment; just
    For a heartbeat. And no-one could understand why.

    Soon they stopped trying to find the reason,
    Blaming a solar flare, or some weird glitch
    In their software.
    But had they been out there, on Mars,
    They'd have seen Opportunity and Curiosity
    Both bowing their camera-cluttered heads,
    Lowering their dusty eyes to the rust-crusted
    Ground in silent tribute.
    Elsewhere they would have found Hubble and Juno
    Both dipping their great solar array wings,
    Bidding their sister farewell.
    And listening carefully they would have heard
    The Voyagers singing Cassini to sleep,
    Their multi-wavelength whalesong
    Sweeping across space on the solar wind...

        (c) Stuart Atkinson Sept 14th 2017