A Space Race

Excellent! If you don't mind extensions from the community, here's an
addition:

From Orion2015 :
A Space Race

There once was a great race to space,
Two nations kept up a fine pace.

Sputnik next to our Vanguard,
The task seemed so very hard.

Vostok was the first one to rise,
With a man as its orbital prize.

But Mercury, Gemini and Apollo,
Gave NASA a sure course to follow.

To the moon! a President said,
Let's get there before it turns Red!

Fly Atlas! Fly Titan! Fly Saturn!
They took off in a regular pattern.

Voskhod flew twice 'round the block,
With three and then a space walk.

By one's, then by two's, then by three's,
In those capsules the brave ones did squeeze.

Their walking and docking and mirth,
Was followed by those here on Earth.

Then off to the moon they did go!
The rest I am sure you all know.

There was a small step for a man,
It all went according to plan.

Then the race took a whole different route,
Into space flew a craft called Salyut.

And Skylab had three different crews,
Then Apollo met up with Soyuz.

It was time for a new Enterprise,
to take flight in clear desert skies.

Then Columbia was just the new thing,
to re-enter on tile covered wing.

Challenger was next on the pad,
But then we all were quite sad.

Next came a flight by Discovery,
and the program was in a recovery.

Atlantis was next on the block,
with a mission, but no one could talk.

Finally a brand new Endeavour,
and three walkers who were very clever.

The Shuttle and Mir had a docking,
and also a little space walking.

Then we built a joint station in space,
But not a name for the base.

Not Freedom, not Alpha, nonetheless,
We just called the place I - S - S.

But mid-way came another tragic loss
The first shuttle would crumble and toss

A valiant crew, including a Jew
Recovery, again bore the cost

Return to Flight! again was the cheer
"Keep building, completion is near"

Thirty years
total
the Shuttle flew on,
Suddenly one day it was gone.

Orion is next in the void,
Its target? A big asteroid.

Finally a trip on to Mars,
And then what? The Stars!


~ CT