Flying to the Moon; An Astronaut's Story

Farrar Straus Giroux, 1994. 2nd Sunburst Edition, updated edition. Presumed 1st printing. Trade paperback. [10], 162 pages. Illustrations. Some sticker residue on cover. Some wear and soiling to cover. Michael Collins (born October 31, 1930) (Major General, USAF, Ret.), is an American former astronaut and test pilot. Selected as part of the third group of fourteen astronauts in 1963, he flew into space twice. His first spaceflight was on Gemini 10, in which he and Command Pilot John Young performed two rendezvous with different spacecraft and Collins undertook two extra-vehicular activities (EVAs). His second spaceflight was as the Command Module Pilot for Apollo 11. While he stayed in orbit around the Moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left in the Lunar Module to make the first manned landing on its surface. He is one of 24 people to have flown to the Moon. Collins was the fourth person, and third American, to perform an EVA; and is the first person to have performed more than one EVA. He attended the United States Military Academy, and from there he joined the United States Air Force. He was accepted to the U.S. Air Force Experimental Flight Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in 1960. He was accepted for the third group. After retiring from NASA in 1970 he took a job in the Department of State as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. A year later he became the director of the National Air and Space Museum. He held this position until 1978 when he stepped down to become undersecretary of the Smithsonian Institution. In 1980 he took the job as Vice President of LTV Aerospace. This Second edition has a preface and a revised final chapter. This is a Sunburst Book. This book is based in part on Michael Collins' Carrying the Fire. Astronaut Michael Collins adds a revised chapter to the extraordinary story of his training and participation in the Gemini 10 and Apollo 11 flights. In this entrancing account, space traveler Michael Collins recalls his early days as an Air Force test pilot, his astronaut training at NASA, and his unparalleled experiences in orbit, including the Apollo 11 mission, the first manned lunar landing. The final chapter to his autobiography, revised and updated for this edition of Flying to the Moon, is an exciting and convincing argument in favor of mankind's continued exploration of our universe. Condition: Good. No dust jacket as issued.

Keywords: Project Gemini, Project Apollo, NASA, Apollo 11, USAF, Test Pilot, Manned Lunar Landing, Space Program, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Spacecraft, EVA, Exploration, Astronaut, Spaceflight

ISBN: 9780374423568

[Book #64879]

Price: $25.00

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