Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys

by Michael Collins

Book Overview

Reissued with a new preface by the author on the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 journey to the moon

The years that have passed since Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins piloted the Apollo 11 spacecraft to the moon in July 1969 have done nothing to alter the fundamental wonder of the event: man reaching the moon remains one of the great events--technical and spiritual--of our lifetime.

In Carrying the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374537763
• ISBN13: 9780374537760
• Release Date: April 2019
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

No Question About It--The Best Astronaut Memoir Ever!

There have been several excellent Apollo astronaut memoirs, especially Gene Cernan's "The Last Man on the Moon" and Jim Lovell's "Lost Moon," which was made into the feature film "Apollo 13." This one is still the most honest and reflective of them all. It extends a tradition of the aviator as litterateur into the age of space travel.Collins had an illustrious career as an astronaut. Chosen in the third group of astronauts in 1963, he served as backup pilot for Gemini VII, pilot for Gemini X, and command module pilot for Apollo 11. On that last mission he became the loneliest man in the universe when his two crewmates, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, landed on the Moon while he remained in orbit around the Moon in the Command Module. In "Carrying the Fire" Collins writes of his solitude in lunar orbit in July 1969. As he disappeared on the backside of the Moon from Earth, he recalled, "I am alone now, truly alone, and absolutely isolated from any known life, I am it. If a count were taken, the score would be three billion plus two over on the other side of the moon, and one plus God only knows what on this side. I feel this powerfully-not as fear or loneliness-but as awareness, anticipation, satisfaction, confidence, almost exultation. I like the feeling. Outside my window I can see stars-and that is all. Where I know the moon to be, there is simply a black void, the moon's presence is defined solely by the absence of stars." He compared it to being in a skiff in the middle of the ocean with only the stars above and black water below. It proved a profoundly moving experience for him.Michael Collins left NASA in 1970 and became the first director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, continuing to write eloquently of the possibilities of spaceflight. Among other works he published "Liftoff: The Story of America's Adventure in Space" (1988) and "Mission to Mars" (1990), a powerful exposition on the value of a human mission to Mars."Carrying the Fire" is the first candid book about life as an astronaut. The author comments on other astronauts, describes the seemingly endless preparations for flights to the Moon, and assesses the results. He also describes what he thinks of as the most important perspective that emerged from his flight, a realization of the fragility of the Earth. He wrote that "from space there is no hint of ruggedness to it; smooth as a billiard ball, it seems delicately poised on its circular journey around the Sun, and above all it seems fragile...Is the sea water clean enough to pour over your head, or is there a glaze of oil on its surface?...Is the riverbank a delight or an obscenity? The difference between a blue-and-white planet and a black-and-brown one is delicate indeed."It is a powerful and moving memoir. Read it more than once and lend copies to your friends. You, and they, will not be disappointed.

I can't gush enough!

Michael Collins is one of the best pilots NASA ever saw, but you won't know that from this book. He is a very humble man who writes with wonderful humor and clarity. His story of his role in the race to the moon is interesting, informative, funny and absolutely incredible. He teaches physics,politics and good writing form in one incredible book. Because Collins is able to so clearly explain the science of flying, I highly recommend this book as a starting place for anyone interested in learning about the early days of the space program. To learn more about the respect others at NASA have for Mike Collins, I recommend "Deke!" and "Last Man on the Moon."

Great Book - Tells What it Was Like

I found this book by referral from other's reviews of lesser astronaut books. Several reviews said, in effect, "don't read this book but find yourself a copy of Carrying the Fire." So I did and now I know what they meant.Michael Collins was the third astronaut on the famous Apollo 11 flight that landed on the moon in July, 1969. Unfortunately, because he wasn't one of the two in the Lunar Module, he isn't often mentioned. He stayed in lunar orbit as the Command Module Pilot. This book is Collins' telling of what it was like to be an astronaut, both in the Gemini and Apollo programs. He talks about the astronaut selection process, and what it was like to go through it. And he tells the story - from a very personal perspective, of what it was like, what he felt, what he worried about, what angered him, and well...you get the idea - of preparing for and flying a Gemini and Apollo mission.Because this is his story, and his first person telling of the story, there isn't really anything here about the lunar landing itself. Rather, he talks about what he was doing when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed and walked on the moon.I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It often made me laugh out loud and I certainly believe that I now know how Collins felt during his tenure as one of America's Astronauts. I found the book both well-written and engaging. I also found, to my surprise, that this is a humble, revealing and candid story. Highly recommended if you are interested in the genre.

Kudos to Mike Collins!

Without doubt this is one of the most wonderful books I have ever read in my life. Mike Collins is an exceptional writer who brings to life the excitement of his Gemini 10 and Apollo 11 missions. The author tells the story like it was and tells it with candor and frankness. In reading the book, I often felt like I was a part of the Apollo 11 adventure. Some previous reviewers have commented on the fact that Mr. Collins sometimes lets his ego show through in his book! Who cares! Who among us would not be bursting at the seams with pride if we had been lucky enough to say that we had been to the moon? One of the best things about this book is that the reader realizes the sacrifices these wonderful astronauts made. Today we often complain of long work hours, but look what these astronauts went through almost everyday. Flying T-38's to contracting plants all over the country or spending countless hours lying on their back in the spacecraft simulators. Consider that along with trying to juggle having a family and being harangued by the press all the time and not to mention autograph seekers. The job might seem glamorous, but it was tough. While the astronauts are are people just like us, they do deserve all the credit in the world for risking their lives on a daily basis. They are heroes and Mike Collins is one of them. All in all, this book is truly fascinating. No matter how often this story is told and retold, it never gets old. The great achievment of the 20th century is the moon landing and Mike Collins was part of it. "Carrying the Fire" certainly represents the best in space exploration literature as evidenced by continual strong sales even though it was published in 1974. If you care anything about the early space program and the Apollo 11 moon landing, look no further than "Carrying the Fire". You will love it. Thank you Mr. Collins for this wonderful book.