Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys - Softcover

Collins, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 081541028X ISBN 13: 9780815410287

Publisher: UNKNO, 2001

Synopsis

NASA astronaut Michael Collins trained as an experimental test pilot before venturing into space as a vital member of the Gemini 10 and Apollo 11 missions. In Carrying the Fire, his account of his voyages into space and the years of training that led up to them, Collins reveals the human tensions, the physical realities, and the personal emotions surrounding the early years of the space race.

Collins provides readers with an insider's view of the space program and conveys the excitement and wonder of his journey to the moon. As skilled at writing as he is at piloting a spacecraft, Collins explains the clash of personalities at NASA and technical aspects of flight with clear, engaging prose, withholding nothing in his candid assessments of fellow astronauts Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, and Buzz Aldrin, and officials within NASA.

A fascinating memoir of mankind's greatest journey told in familiar, human terms, Carrying the Fire is by turns thrilling, humorous, and thought-provoking, a unique work by a remarkable man.

About this title

About the Author:

Michael Collins, a NASA astronaut, was the third American to walk in space (Gemini 10) and the pilot of the command module during Apollo 11's mission to the moon in July, 1969. Following his career as an astronaut, he served as the director of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. He has since retired and lives in Marco Island, Florida.

Review:

Collins can write.... He is breezy, glib, collegiate, and frequently funny. There are marvelous things in Carrying the Fire that catch a reader unaware every few pages. (The New York Times)

Strikingly authentic. Collins is an extremely good writer, and his lean, forceful prose makes this an unusually readable memoir.... Written with vigor, humor, and unusual insight into men and machines, this is an outstanding book. (Library Journal)

About this edition

• Publisher: UNKNO
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 081541028X
• ISBN 13: 9780815410287
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 544