Almaz

[radag...@gmail.com]

Floating a hundred miles up in Space,
A secret Soviet ship spied quietly;
Designed while the US was winning Moon race,
Almaz helped the Soviet Union move ahead militarily.

Cosmonauts could photogragh anywhere they wanted,
Untouchable, protected with an onboard cannon;
Rendered US Space technology, once so vaunted,
Second Fiddle in Space Station technology canon.

Still, US managed to develop the Space Shuttle,
Able to deliver, and retrieve, giant satellites.
Once this program got underway, US able to whittle,
Any perceived lagging, its flexibility in world spotlight.
With an American Shuttle and a Russian Space station,
Earth got itself a giant new complex, useful to many nations.



Scribbled this after watching the very fascinating NOVA program on the
US Manned Orbital Laboratory.