Author: Mary UpritchardInnovaSpace Admin Director & Space Fan! I wouldn’t consider myself a great poet, far from it, but I would argue the case that poetry (and many of the other arts) have a rightful place in the future of space exploration. Life in space is not only about engineering solutions or medical data. Indeed, many astronauts onboard the ISS have found a need to reflect on and share their experiences, giving us a glimpse of space through human feelings and humour, more specifically through poetry. Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden published Hello Earth: Greetings from Endeavour in 1974, a collection of poems about his experiences as an astronaut and the feelings of joy and solitude that being in space provoked. Decades later in 2012, Don Pettit shared his own reflections while on the ISS in a short poem entitled Space Is My Mistress. These examples show that astronauts often look beyond scientific reporting, choosing poetry as a way to express moments that are difficult to put into ordinary words.
Artistic work, including poetry, helps connect the public with space exploration. Scientific papers and technical reports can feel distant, but a poem sparks curiosity and imagination in new audiences. Some projects have even included artists directly in space-related activities, such as analog missions and exhibitions that mix art with science. These efforts highlight that exploration is not only about technology and survival, but also about culture and community. In the long run, creative expression will be an important part of how people adapt to life away from Earth. In honour of this blog, I thought I would write a few lines of poetry about spending time on the ISS, though let me remind you I warned in my first sentence that I am far from being a good poet – so bear with me! Here in the UK, I’m of an age that remembers an ITV television talent programme called Opportunity Knocks, decades before Simon Cowell and Britain’s Got Talent appeared on the scene. It was the mid-1970s and onto the stage walked a homely young lady called Pam Ayres, who in a little more than two minutes recited a humorous poem called ‘The Embarrassing Experience With A Parrot’. The audience loved her, I loved her, and my older brother Chris spent the following years of his life reciting Pam Ayres poems as his party trick to impress his friends! Considering all this, and remembering my brother who is no longer with us, I created a short light-hearted ode in the style of Pam Ayres, called Six Months Aloft. Six months Aloft I went to live in orbit up upon the ISS, A floating tin of astronauts in constant weightless stress. Me face puffed up like bread dough me legs like sticks of chalk, I drifted about in micro-g just bobbing like a cork. The first few days were dreadful I was queasy, green and weak, I tried to sip me orange juice it squirted round the cheek. A bean escaped me dinner tray it bobbed about with pride, I lunged to catch the blighter but it scooted off to hide. No shower for six whole months just flannels, wipes, and spray, I longed for soap and hot shampoo and water sluiced away. I smelt a bit “authentic” which is one way to describe, The musk of space-bound laundry with a hint of old man’s vibe. I missed me Sunday dinners me roasts and mash and peas, Instead I got a plastic pouch of beef with added cheese. It floated round me cabin like a bovine in a bag, I jabbed it with a straw and slurped, oh lord, it tasted bad! And though the view was wondrous, with the Earth all blue and round, I swore I’d kiss the garden soil when I was homeward bound. For six months up in orbit gave me joy, and gave me pains, But please, next time they’re launching… They can send up other brains! As we plan for longer missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, it becomes clear that astronauts will need more than machines and medicine to thrive. They will also need ways to express themselves and to stay connected with their own humanity. Poetry, along with other forms of art, helps bring meaning to the experience of living in space. Whether serious or humorous, it reminds us that exploration is not only about survival, but also about creativity, culture, and simply being human.
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