What's beamed up

We find out pretty early that the tech
sustains us but provides no moral core;
the journey is not one we've done before,
to reach the stars will take us a long trek.
We're not to be summoned, not at the beck
of any caller; our mission needs much more
than mere devotion, but we do not get sore;
the captain sits and ponders on the deck.
Below the engineer thinks squares and cubes,
gets everything the engines give and yet
can coax more from them, that's the noble thing.
He clambers with agility through narrow tubes,
does not despair though others get upset,
and finds more lift than can be got by wing.