Neo
Dr. Fiorella Terenzi/Thomas Dolby Lyrics

Near Earth Object.
Referring to a solid body whose orbit lies within the orbit of Mars.

Moons Asteroids. Meteorites.
Listing different celestial objects that are commonly studied.

And human debris.
Referring to the man-made objects floating in space, like discarded satellites and rocket parts.

You can see a meteorite almost any night.
Encouraging people to observe the night sky for meteorites.

Go out to the desert
Suggesting people to travel to a remote location with clear skies to better observe the night sky.

They are pieces of stars,
Explaining that meteorites are remnants of stars and other celestial bodies.

You might find a piece.
Suggesting that with patience and luck, a person can find a piece of meteorite.

Same as you and me
Comparing meteorites to ordinary matter found on Earth.

They have travelled through space for thousands of years.
Describing the long journey that meteorites have taken to reach Earth.

Perhaps you will get lucky
Continuing to encourage people to search for meteorites with a hopeful tone.

but you will never find a piece of Soyuz
Pointing out the difficulty of finding space debris from specific historical events and objects.

or Sputnik or Apollo 9
Naming specific historical space objects that are too difficult to find.

They are still out there
Noting that certain space debris is still present in Earth's orbit and beyond.

They are very faint
Describing the difficulty of observing certain space debris due to their dimness.

And the pollution in earths atmosphere
Explaining why pollution in the Earth's atmosphere can obscure the visibility of certain space debris.

washes out their pale light
Continuing the explanation of how atmospheric pollution can obscure the visibility of space debris by washing out its faint light.

Floating without air, without light
Providing an alternate description of how space debris exists in the vacuum of space.

Or else - charred on the re-entry
Pointing out that space debris can burn up in the atmosphere when re-entering Earth.

They are still out there floating
Reiterating that some space debris continues to exist in space.

Within the orbit of Mars.
Clarifying that some space debris orbits within the orbit of Mars.

Look at it this way:
Introducing a figurative perspective to contemplate space debris.

a river of space, a ribbon of time
Describing space and time as fluid concepts that bring space debris on a continuous journey through creation.

like a burial by a beaurocrat
Making a metaphorical comparison of the journey of space debris to a burial arranged by a bureaucrat.

undercover of a cold war risk.
Explaining the political context of how much of the space debris got there.

a cloud of dust-a cloud of rubble
Describing debris in space using two similar metaphors.

spinning in space on the heels of the Hubble
Making a figurative comparison of the movement of the space debris to the motion of the famous Hubble space telescope.

a parallel, or a temporal rip
Introducing two intriguing ways of interpreting space debris as a parallel entity to our reality or a tear in time itself.

in the belly of the Cosmos
Using a vivid metaphor to depict the vast, infinite scope of the universe containing space debris.

a fossilized finger
Drawing a comparison to a preserved physical fragment that tells a rich story about the history of the cosmos.

Somewhere in a hanger
Relaying the idea that many of these historical objects are stored in secret locations and will never be seen by the public.

Stored by the government, hidden from the press
Giving an example of why many historical space objects will never be found: They are kept secret by the government.

some young top gun s first solo
Recalling a cinematic representation of a newbie pilot navigating dangerous flights alone and equating to the search for elusive space debris.

turned out to be a N.E.O.
Concluding with a twist that this search for space debris is like searching for a Near Earth Object (N.E.O.).