10 thoughts on “Michael Collins”

  1. “Carrying The Fire” is my favorite astronaut memoir, and Collins was one of my childhood heroes. You are correct, a whole generation of heroes are disappearing. I had feared we were losing any first hand knowledge of what the Lunar surface is like, but it seems we are entering an era where others will have the same experience. I think Collins would appreciate that.

  2. My only wish is that we return an American to the moon before they (the Apollo astronauts) have all passed.

    Michael Collins Ad Astra.

    I have not read his book.
    Did he write about ever wanting to go back and walk on the surface?

    1. I read his book a long time ago so I can’t answer your specific question. I do recall that I liked the book and that he said Armstrong was the best pilot in the astronaut corps because of his X-15 experience.

    2. Did he write about ever wanting to go back and walk on the surface?

      After Apollo 11, Deke Slayton offered Collins the command of Apollo 17, straight up. Collins decided pretty quickly he didn’t want it. He was tired of the “grind.”

      Which is not to say that he wouldn’t have enjoyed walking on the Moon — he would have. But he didn’t want to pay the price of what would have been three more years of training (he would have to have been on the backup for Apollo 14) and hardly seeing his family.

      But he did have the chance to do it, if he was willing to pay the price.

      It is worth noting that in his foreword to the 2019 edition of his book (Carrying the Fire), he notes that the planet he *really* wanted to visit all along was Mars, not the Moon. I guess he had that in common with Buzz.

      1. Seems hard to imagine, but if you’ve ever worked at a start-up company (and I have at a few), I can totally understand and respect that decision.

      2. After Apollo 11, Deke Slayton offered Collins the command of Apollo 17, straight up. Collins decided pretty quickly he didn’t want it. He was tired of the “grind.”

        Also there was no guarantee that there would be an Apollo 17. He did not want to go through the wear and tear of being the backup commander for Apollo 14 with the possibility of no payoff.

  4. Michael Collins is a name I committed to myself to remember. I admired him very much.

    Something about imagining those quiet moments alone on the far side of the moon has always struck me as inspirational. While all eyes were on the landing, he was there alone. It must have been an impressive experience. Godspeed to him.

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