Below is a music video (hat tip goes to Mark Bray of Braynstorms.com) giving tribute to the Space Shuttle Workforce written and performed by Dan Keenan and Kenny McLaughlin who both worked at Kennedy Space Center.
I know many of the people in the video and you couldn’t find a more enjoyable workforce to be a member of. These are good “ordinary people doing extraordinary things.” In order to accomplish these “extraordinary things” these people from all walks of life all shared in common one thing, extraordinary dreams.
Come Friday, America will see her last Space Shuttle launch and America’s most successful Human Space Flight program will fade into mythos after 30 years of flights. These people who made this happen, who made our country’s shuttles fly, are a reflection of America’s best and have been the most productive employees of the American taxpayer ever in history.
All the people you see in this video have already been laid off or will be laid off permanently by the end of the summer.
Well done to everyone and godspeed to you all.
We All Do What We Can Do – Lyrics
Be still our beating hearts, we take another breath.
And every time we launch it scares me half to death.
And I know this, yeah I know this, you feel the same.
A sigh of relief comes over me
When we’re two minutes in and drop the SRBs.
And I know this, yes I know this, you feel the same.
And we all do what we can do
To make this bird fly on wings.
And spirits soar, yes they soar,
When three main engines sing.
And I see you feel the same.
Orbit after orbit she spins in outer space,
She is dancing through the cosmos, biggest smile on her face.
And we’re proud, loud and proud, to see you shine.
Standing by the runway they call us Convoy Ops.
You can hear the engines roar when her wheels come to a stop.
We all do what we can do to bring you home.
And we all do what we can do,
And live what others dream.
The bonds we knew,
These memories, forever they will be.
And I can see you feel the same.
When the crew comes out they wobble ’round the bird,
Our family in blue. Sweetest booms we’ve ever heard.
And I know, yes I know, we feel the same.
And we all do what we can do,
And live what others dream.
The bonds we knew,
These memories, forever they will be.
And I can see you feel the same
Safety watches out, and Quality inspects.
Engineers write the paper that’s driven by the Techs.
Have you seen the magic they can do?
Flow managers make sure the puzzle pieces fit.
Schedulers keep runnin’, they never seem to quit.
We all keep, we all keep pushin’ on.
And we all do what we can do
And live what others dream.
The bonds we knew,
These memories, forever they will be.
And I can see you feel the same.
To all those who designed her and built her piece by piece,
Pride brought her home to launch from KSC.
And I know this, yeah I know this, you feel the same.
For thirty years we’ve launched her, did the best we could.
We learned from our mistakes, think we did pretty good.
And I know this, yeah I know this, you feel the same.
We all do what we can do
To make this bird fly on wings.
And spirits soar, yes they soar,
When three main engines sing.
And I see, I see, you feel the same.
And we all do what we can do
To make this bird fly on wings.
And spirits soar, yes they soar,
When three main engines sing.
And I see, I see, you feel the same.
And I see you feel the same.
Copyright © 2010 Dan Keenan and Kenny McLaughlin
