Robert Heinlein's "The Green Hills of Earth": Spaceman extraordinary, & a great poet too

If you have an ear for poetry, you might enjoy it more than me; I just end up skipping poetry. May be a third of this story is poetry - the great poem of spacemen titled The Green Hills of Earth by Rhysling (hero of the story).

Story summary.
Experienced & competent spaceman Rhysling, jetman, second class, is on "a loop trip to the Jovian asteroids in the RS Goshawk" (RS means Rocket Ship). He is also a popular poet.

Inter-planetary traffic is a monopoly of the Harriman's Company, as it is in many other Heinlein stories. "The Goshawk was the first of Harriman's ships to be converted from chemical fuel to atomic powerpiles - or rather the first that did not blow up."

Rhysling notices something wrong in one of the engines before takeoff, but is overruled by Captain Hicks, master of the ship, on advice from Maintenance.

There is an accident on the way. Rhysling loses his eye sight. Plus job. For a while he wanders around various human settlements on Mars. Later hitchhikes trips across various planets - & grows in stature as a lovable poet.

One fine day, he decides to return to earth. He is then at Venus Ellis Isle. He becomes a hitchhiker aboard Falcon, after some drama that involves bulling the young captain showing him the rulebook.

Another engine accident on the way, & Rhysling dies while saving the ship. And dictating what would be the last parts of his great poem, "The Green Hills of Earth".

Trivia.

1. Since 1978, "Science Fiction Poetry Association" has been annually handing out "Rhysling Awards for Best Poems of the Year" in two categories: Short Poem (less than 50 lines), & Long Poem (50 or more lines). It also issues an annual "Rhysling Anthology" comprising of the works nominated for the Award. Award site lists the winners & nominees to date.
   

Fact sheet.
The Green Hills of Earth, short story, review
First published: Saturday Evening Post, 8 February 1947
Rating: B

See also.

1. Eric Frank Russell's "Jay Score" (1941): Another story where the protagonist acts very valiantly during an accident in space, putting himself in a situation that will result in serious injury.