Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys: 50th Anniversary Edition
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- Create Date：2021-04-30 00:53:47
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Michael Collins
- ISBN：1509896570
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Summary
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。
Reviews
Ricardo Loup
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Será por el solo hecho de que soy aficionado del programa Apolo， pero este recuento de Mike Collins sobre el esfuerzo que tomó a seres humanos comunes （extraordinarios de tan comunes） en emprender el viaje más importante de la historia， es todo lo que un lector en busca de placer puede pedir。 Un libro imprescindible para quienes comparten esta fascinación por esta hazaña tan poco valorada hasta el día de hoy。
Daniel
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A fantastic book。 Inspiring， thought provoking， and witty。 Collins captures his journey as an astronaut in vivid detail。
Gina
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OutstandingThe absolute best book about the spaceprogram told with the perfect blend of humour and attention to detail。 Bravo General Collins。
Curtis
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Thrilling， candid， non-ghostwritten “you-are-there” account of being an astronaut and experiencing Gemini and Apollo era space flight。 Loved every minute of it。
Tyler Jared
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The best memoir I have read
Chad Manske
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First published in 1974 with 40th and 50th anniversary editions published in subsequent milestones， Collins record of his， and by extension， NASA’s early development years。 Starting out as an experimental test pilot， Collins would apply three times before finally being accepted into the program。 A veteran of the Gemini 10 and famed Apollo 11 moon landing missions—the latter as chief mission pilot—Collins wrote this supremely readable， detailed and humorous account of the training， personalities， First published in 1974 with 40th and 50th anniversary editions published in subsequent milestones， Collins record of his， and by extension， NASA’s early development years。 Starting out as an experimental test pilot， Collins would apply three times before finally being accepted into the program。 A veteran of the Gemini 10 and famed Apollo 11 moon landing missions—the latter as chief mission pilot—Collins wrote this supremely readable， detailed and humorous account of the training， personalities， successes and failures of America’s early space program as if the reader was right there living it！ 5 stars！ 。。。more
Justin
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One of the best books I've read about the space program。 Don't be daunted by the length。 Collins does share a lot of technical details about space flight， but his wittiness and humor make this quite readable。 One of the best books I've read about the space program。 Don't be daunted by the length。 Collins does share a lot of technical details about space flight， but his wittiness and humor make this quite readable。 。。。more
Peter Schmeltzer
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Good story。 Didn't especially like his writing style though but it I think is a great insight into his mind。 Good story。 Didn't especially like his writing style though but it I think is a great insight into his mind。 。。。more
Katherine McVey
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I thought this book was a bit too technical for the average reader。 Some parts were pretty boring and Collins tended to drone on in some places。 I found the chapters when he was in flight to be most interesting。 Some people said they didn't think the last chapter was necessary but I actually enjoyed the insights he shared at the end。 I did find Collins to have a bit of a male-chauvinistic tone。 He does have a deprecating sense of humor， but as a female reader， some of his comments didn't sit rig I thought this book was a bit too technical for the average reader。 Some parts were pretty boring and Collins tended to drone on in some places。 I found the chapters when he was in flight to be most interesting。 Some people said they didn't think the last chapter was necessary but I actually enjoyed the insights he shared at the end。 I did find Collins to have a bit of a male-chauvinistic tone。 He does have a deprecating sense of humor， but as a female reader， some of his comments didn't sit right with me。 。。。more
Nguyen Minh
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A witty and sarcastic recount of astronaut Mike Collins' journey from his days as a test pilot to the other side of the moon and back。 Despite having never landed on the mythical rock itself， his brief time spent on the opposite side of the moon to the rest of humanity was， for a while， unique in all of human history。 This book gives a peek into this very special perspective in the tone of a grumpy grandpa。 Definitely my favorite biography。 A witty and sarcastic recount of astronaut Mike Collins' journey from his days as a test pilot to the other side of the moon and back。 Despite having never landed on the mythical rock itself， his brief time spent on the opposite side of the moon to the rest of humanity was， for a while， unique in all of human history。 This book gives a peek into this very special perspective in the tone of a grumpy grandpa。 Definitely my favorite biography。 。。。more
Lily
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He's sounds like a chauvinist but he was born in the 1930 so。。。 sadly expected。 Fascinating book otherwise He's sounds like a chauvinist but he was born in the 1930 so。。。 sadly expected。 Fascinating book otherwise 。。。more
Robin Smith
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A remarkable telling of the US space program during the Gemini-Apollo era （Collins had no involvement with the Mercury phase）。 Michael Collins relates his personal experiences as an astronaut in a way that is surprisingly revealing。 He tends to not hold anything back。 Originally written in 1974。
Tom
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What a great book and superb story from a real legend。 A great amount of detail and it never felt self indulgent。 I haven’t got much to say other than if， like me you find this period in history fascinating and want to know more about how we got to the moon， it’s a must read。 For me Collins and his unique role alone was what drew me in but to hear about the other people involved and his long journey was brilliant。 A five star book
Kerry Evans
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Fascinating， well written and essential reading for anyone who wants to learn about the Apollo program and its predecessors。 Gives the personal perspective that more technical histories lack， but is very much a personal point of view and doesn't shy away from that。 Fascinating， well written and essential reading for anyone who wants to learn about the Apollo program and its predecessors。 Gives the personal perspective that more technical histories lack， but is very much a personal point of view and doesn't shy away from that。 。。。more
Eleanor
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It's like your uncle has this really amazing adventure story to tell - I mean， really amazing - like the ultimate adventure - and he tells it well， but sometimes he focuses for too long on the less interesting parts。 This book took about 400 pages to get to the Apollo 11 mission。 Michael Collins is the third Apollo 11 astronaut - the one who orbited the moon in the command module while Neil and Buzz became the first humans to walk on the moon。 There's actually very little here about the first sp It's like your uncle has this really amazing adventure story to tell - I mean， really amazing - like the ultimate adventure - and he tells it well， but sometimes he focuses for too long on the less interesting parts。 This book took about 400 pages to get to the Apollo 11 mission。 Michael Collins is the third Apollo 11 astronaut - the one who orbited the moon in the command module while Neil and Buzz became the first humans to walk on the moon。 There's actually very little here about the first spacewalk because Collins was on the dark side of the moon while it was happening。 Written in the 70s， this book is not as tightly edited as more recent books might be。 I enjoyed that aspect of it。 Although some descriptions went on too long， Collins is not afraid to be frank about other astronauts。 He and Buzz and Neil were not close; they didn't have many deep conversations on Apollo 11。 The last chapter， in which Collins reflects on the perspective provided by spaceflight is lovely。 The most interesting fact I learned is that astronauts referred to each other as "babe" during spaceflights。 As in， "time to come in from your spacewalk， babe。" 。。。more
Thom
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Described as "the standard by which all other astronaut stories should be measured" and deservedly so。 Excellent first-person perspective of the program and two space flights， Mercury 10 and Apollo 11。Collins employed no ghostwriter， and his clear descriptions of situations and events come through。 As a test pilot， he was trained to recall details about the flight， but this is no simple recitation of numbers。 The narrative really gives a feel for the astronaut program， both risks and rewards。For Described as "the standard by which all other astronaut stories should be measured" and deservedly so。 Excellent first-person perspective of the program and two space flights， Mercury 10 and Apollo 11。Collins employed no ghostwriter， and his clear descriptions of situations and events come through。 As a test pilot， he was trained to recall details about the flight， but this is no simple recitation of numbers。 The narrative really gives a feel for the astronaut program， both risks and rewards。For the Apollo 11 flight， I supplemented by listening to https://apolloinrealtime。org/Though this book weighs in at more than 500 pages， it was hard to put down。 I really enjoyed every aspect of this book， easily the best I've read this year。 。。。more
Mike O'Connor
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Very enjoyable read， Collins proved himself to be an engaging writer and even more surprisingly， a funny one。 A splendid account of the astronaut program in the 60’s written by the man who stayed in lunar orbit while his fellow astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin went down to the lunar surface to make history。 Highly recommended。
Michael Woodward
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Very detailed biography of Collins USAF and NASA career and suprisingly candid descriptions of all the other astronauts at the time and the struggles post Apollo 11。
KrazyIvan
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Really enjoyed learning about Collins from his own perspective。 Great memoir。 Good mix of technical and non-technical details。
Steve Marland
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Fascinating account of the space program and voyage to the moon and back from the point of view of the sometimes forgotten but very important third man。
Stuart
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I know the Apollo story well so there was not too much new Apollo technical information in this book but Mike Collins’ humour and personality really shines through。The section on Gemini was packed with information on Gemini， Agena rendezvous and spacewalks。 The Apollo 1 fire was movingly retold。Mike Collins pulls no punches in writing about his fellow astronauts and I wonder if he lost any friendships due to the descriptions of them written here。 This is probably the personal account of all thos I know the Apollo story well so there was not too much new Apollo technical information in this book but Mike Collins’ humour and personality really shines through。The section on Gemini was packed with information on Gemini， Agena rendezvous and spacewalks。 The Apollo 1 fire was movingly retold。Mike Collins pulls no punches in writing about his fellow astronauts and I wonder if he lost any friendships due to the descriptions of them written here。 This is probably the personal account of all those written about the astronaut program。Oh and read it while you can before politically incorrect books are banned or censored 😉 Must read for vintage space flight geeks。 。。。more
enrique
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Autobiografia de la carrera en la NASA de uno de los astronautas del Apollo 11。 Harto detalle del dia a dia de sus vuelos en Gemini y Apollo， es como tener a un amigo mas viejo contándote de verdad como fue la cosa！ Harto tiempo en simuladores para ejecutar todo， apretar switches y coordinarse con Houston， que ayudaron a resolver problemas en Gemini y a posicionarse en Apollo。
Michael
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The book gets a tad too scientific in some parts （often to its detriment）， but Collin treats the reader with such respect and patience you can’t help but believe you can understand - and you often do！ He doesn’t over simplify the science， but takes the time and effort to explain things in ways you can digest。 What a deep dive into what it was like。 Great book
CRT
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Wonderful account of the early Nasa years and moon mission from an inside source。 Mike Collins' personality really comes through。 Wonderful account of the early Nasa years and moon mission from an inside source。 Mike Collins' personality really comes through。 。。。more
Jeramy Underwood
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As a complete Apollo fan since the original missions themselves， I avidly consume literature on the subject。 This is without doubt the best book on the subject I have yet read。 Astronaut memoirs seem to be written with 1960s NASA public relations looking over the authors shoulder， some， such as Slayton and Shepard's "Moon shot" are liberally sweetened with the saccarine of the all American hero and the syrup of mutual admiration。 Others like Lovell's "Lost moon" read almost like a mission debrie As a complete Apollo fan since the original missions themselves， I avidly consume literature on the subject。 This is without doubt the best book on the subject I have yet read。 Astronaut memoirs seem to be written with 1960s NASA public relations looking over the authors shoulder， some， such as Slayton and Shepard's "Moon shot" are liberally sweetened with the saccarine of the all American hero and the syrup of mutual admiration。 Others like Lovell's "Lost moon" read almost like a mission debrief。 Unlike the aforementioned， Collins does not employ a ghost writer and the result is far more of the man and less of the mission。 It reads almost like sharing a bottle with the author and the character of the man， his difficulties and his humour are absolutely at the fore。 A thoroughly enjoyable read， informative without the air of a text book and more reminiscent of the casually anecdotal conversation of good company。 Thoroughly recommended。Would have given five stars but I didn't find the book "Amazing"， wasn't amazed， shocked or surprised at all。 。。。more
Neil Aring
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I loved this。 Really brings home what an amazing accomplishment this was， how much the astronauts were involved in every aspect of the flight， and the level of precision to make it all work。 Lot's of science and engineering for the nerds （like me） but more than that the very human side of these guys。 I loved this。 Really brings home what an amazing accomplishment this was， how much the astronauts were involved in every aspect of the flight， and the level of precision to make it all work。 Lot's of science and engineering for the nerds （like me） but more than that the very human side of these guys。 。。。more
Olivia
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ugh so good 🥲🥲 collins does a brilliant job of describing heavy maths/science elements while maintaining a light tone - makes it a lot easier to follow than other non-fiction NASA pieces i’ve read。 i wish i was an astronaut 😔 ALSO i’m so glad he chose not to use a ghost writer - was way more interesting hearing it through his own voice
Elanor Wainscott
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I'm a fan of space history， and I've read many books on the subject。 This book seemed to be a little hard for me to read。 It became too long winded at times。 I'm a fan of space history， and I've read many books on the subject。 This book seemed to be a little hard for me to read。 It became too long winded at times。 。。。more
Kristin
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Wow。 This is one of the best books I've ever read。 I feel like this is one of those books that everybody needs to read in their lifetime。 Autobiography of astronaut Mike Collins - lesser known member of Apollo 11 which landed the first man on the moon。 It's definitely a dense， sometimes hard， book to get through - it includes every small detail and leaves no stone unturned concerning space navigation， space module construction， aeronautical physics， computer programming， astronaut training， jet Wow。 This is one of the best books I've ever read。 I feel like this is one of those books that everybody needs to read in their lifetime。 Autobiography of astronaut Mike Collins - lesser known member of Apollo 11 which landed the first man on the moon。 It's definitely a dense， sometimes hard， book to get through - it includes every small detail and leaves no stone unturned concerning space navigation， space module construction， aeronautical physics， computer programming， astronaut training， jet propulsion， etc。 It's a proud task to stick with it as goes through pages and pages of dry technical explanations: like describing the relative velocity/attitude/pitch needed to enter lunar orbits or how exactly the space module will intersect and dock with the lunar module。 Through all the dryness， Collins' self-effacing， quick humor shines！ The actual account of landing on the moon doesn't even occur until the last 1/4 of the book！ But man is it worth it！！ It absolutely blows my mind all the planning， research， testing and plain luck it took to get the moon！ And this was all more than 50 years ago！ Reading this book you feel like you went to the moon too， truly。 You feel exhausted from the years of preparations。 You feel the nervous anticipation of actually knowing all the things that could go wrong （like Collins not being able to intercept with the lunar module and having to leave Armstrong and Aldrin to die on the moon and come back to Earth alone。。。。。）。 You feel the surreal-ness， loneliness and existential-ness of being among the first people to leave the Earth and voluntarily venture to somewhere that is far outside our comprehension。 Then finally you feel like you too have experienced something that will forever separate you from the rest of humanity。 。。。more
Vivek Malur Sadashivaiah
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