First published 1989
Michael Collins draws on his experience as an astronaut to chronicle America's space program from its uncertain beginnings in 1960 through the Apollo moon landing to the Challenger disaster. Collins witnessed these events firsthand, flying on Gemini 10 and serving as command module pilot for Apollo 11 while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the lunar surface. His account traces NASA's evolution from early rocket failures to achieving President Kennedy's goal of landing humans on the moon before 1970. Collins examines the technical challenges, political pressures, and human costs that shaped the space program. He covers the Mercury and Gemini missions that built toward Apollo, the triumph of the moon landing, and the tragedy that befell Challenger's crew. The book offers readers an insider's perspective on one of humanity's greatest technological achievements and the people who made it possible.
Genres: biography, history, 20th-century, adventure, non-fiction, 21st-century, aviation, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: insider-perspective, personal-account
Setting: America, NASA
Period: 1960s, 1970s
288 pages · Paperback · Grove Press