That's another.The poem is about the Challenger exploding the reference to firebird is a Phoenix crashing to earth in flames to be reborn from the fires of its own destruction, and the getting to close to the sun and the waxen feathers, well I've already explained that. The hubricient (overpuffed with pride) attitude of the US towards its space program was like Icarus so taken with his ability to fly he flew too close to the sun. The US felt any risk minimal and pushed the envelope to launch..the results were the same. Icarus and the Challenger both fell.