Perseverance

There’s nothing more I’d love to do,

Than wander far and wide,

My wheels churn up the Martian dust,

Imagine what I’ll find.

My probes dig deep in sand and rock

In search of vital clues,

Historical finds or signs of life,

A hope of one breakthrough.

I’ve far to go, I can’t stay long,

There’s much to discover,

I pass on by a Rover friend,

I’m sure there’ll be another.

Alone on Mars but not for long,

My mission without interference,

Reporting back to friends on Earth

I’m Peripatetic Perseverance.

Happy Monday everyone. I hope you’ve all had a great weekend. The above was my contribution to a Monday Words challenge. The challenge is to use the word in a few sentences of verse or prose, in such a way that the context makes its meaning clear to someone who is unfamiliar with it. It is not sufficient simply to include the word somewhere in your entry without making its meaning understood.

The word for the week was the adjective PERIPATETIC: travelling from place to place, in particular working or based in various places for relatively short periods.

Feel free to add yours in the comments section.

New Horizons – Ultima Thule

New Horizons – Ultima Thule

by Gavin Biddlecombe

 

The President strode into the conference room, speaking before reaching the podium. The gathered reporters hushed. “I appreciate you all for coming in from your New Year celebrations to mark this historic occasion,” he said.

“You’re leaving?” asked one of the reporters.

The President checked his agenda. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Right. Excuse my interruption.”

The President looked around at the expectant faces before proceeding. “We’ve received news from NASA that New Horizons has sent back the first detailed images of Ultima Thule from the Kuiper Belt, the furthest object ever explored in our solar system. Whilst promising, this also comes with worrying news for future space exploration and any attempts to land on this object.”

“Mr. President,” said another reporter, standing up. “Surely NASA can manage this considering the ESA landed the Rosetta spacecraft on comet 67P.”

“Well, yes and no.”

Around the room, an unsettled murmur began.

“Please,” he urged, “let me continue. Whilst landing may be possible, it appears from our images that their immigration policy is even more stringent than ours.”

 

(176 Words)

 

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News Writing Challenge – 180 Words Max

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Locked Out

Locked Out

By Gavin Biddlecombe

 

“Come on guys, open up.” Neil stood on the platform outside of the sealed door, speaking to the inhabitants through his radio. “This isn’t funny anymore.”

“What’s the password?” said one voice, distorted by the electronic hardware.

“I’m not playing this game again. Let me in or I’m telling.”

“Ooh, scary.”

“Is this because I ate the last chocolate pudding?”

Silence.

Neil stopped pounding on the door and pressed himself up against it, hearing the muffled laughter within. Leaving them to it, he climbed back down the ladder and jumped off at the last rung, the dusty ground crunching under his boots as he landed.

He moved away, ignoring the deep boot-prints left behind and sat on a nearby rock, surveying the dark, empty landscape ahead of him. Fiddling with the radio settings on his suit, he looked back at the sealed door and began his next transmission in the hope someone would hear.

“Houston,” he said, “we have a problem…”

 

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