''Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys'' is the autobiography of the
Gemini 10 and
Apollo 11 astronaut
Michael Collins. It was released in 1974 with a foreword by the aviator
Charles Lindbergh (who died that year). The book was re-released in 2009 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the first crewed
lunar landing, and again for its 50th anniversary, in 2019.
The book covers Collins's life as a
test pilot in the
United States Air Force; his selection as an astronaut and his
spacewalks on Gemini 10 and historic flight as the
command module pilot on Apollo 11. Collins presents some candid insights into his astronaut colleagues, including
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor.
...
("I can't offhand think of a better choice to be the first man on the moon")
and
Buzz Aldrin ("would make a champion chess player; always thinks several moves ahead").
Background
Collins was originally going to title the book ''World in my Window'', but he later decided that was "too corny". After discussing it with his editor, they decided to use three words to describe spaceflight. Collins decided on ''Carrying the Fire''.
In the book, Collins discusses the selection of the first person to walk on the Moon, and the resulting tension that arises from it.
Reception
In his review for
''Time'' magazine,
Robert Sherrod
Robert Lee Sherrod (February 8, 1909 – February 13, 1994) was an American journalist, editor and writer. He was a war correspondent for ''Time'' and ''Life'' magazines, covering combat from World War II to the Vietnam War. During World ...
calls it "the best-written book yet by any of the astronauts".
As an author, Collins worked without assistance from
ghost writers, stating that "No matter how good the ghost, I am convinced that a book loses realism when an interpreter stands between the storyteller and his audience".
Collins subsequently released further titles, including ''Flying to the Moon and Other Strange Places '' (1976), ''Liftoff: The Story of America's Adventure in Space '' (1988) and ''Mission to Mars'' (1990).
See also
* ''
First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong''
* ''
A Man on the Moon
''A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts'' is a 1994 book by Andrew Chaikin. It describes the 1968-1972 voyages of the Apollo program astronauts in detail, from Apollo 8 to 17.
:"A decade in the making, this book is based o ...
The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts'', a 1994 book
* ''
One Giant Leap'', a 2019 book
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carrying The Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys
1974 non-fiction books
American autobiographies
Books about the Apollo program
Aviation books
Spaceflight books
Apollo 11
Charles Lindbergh
Michael Collins (astronaut)
Books by astronauts