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Liftoff: The Story of America's Adventure in Space
The former astronaut traces America's ascent into space and the history of NASA, from the first faltering steps in 1960, to humankind's first small step on the moon's surface, to the 1986 Challenger tragedy
288 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1988
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About the author
Michael Collins
18 books83 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
(2)Astronaut
Michael Collins was a former American astronaut and test pilot. Selected as part of the third group of fourteen astronauts in 1963, he flew in space twice. His first spaceflight was Gemini 10, in which he and command pilot John Young performed two rendezvous with different spacecraft and Collins undertook two EVAs. His second spaceflight was as the command module pilot for Apollo 11. While he orbited the Moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made the first manned landing on the lunar surface.
During his day flying solo around the Moon, Collins never felt lonely. Although it has been said "not since Adam has any human known such solitude", Collins felt very much a part of the mission. In his autobiography he wrote "this venture has been structured for three men, and I consider my third to be as necessary as either of the other two". In the 48 minutes of each orbit when he was out of radio contact with the Earth while Columbia passed round the far side of the Moon, the feeling he reported was not fear or loneliness, but rather "awareness, anticipation, satisfaction, confidence, almost exultation"
After spending so much time with the CSM, Collins felt compelled to leave his mark on it, so during the second night following their return from the Moon, he went to the lower equipment bay of the CM and wrote:
"Spacecraft 107 – alias Apollo 11 – alias Columbia. The best ship to come down the line. God Bless Her. Michael Collins, CMP"
After retiring from NASA in 1970, Collins 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, and held this position until 1978, when he stepped down to become undersecretary of the Smithsonian Institution. In 1980, he took a job as vice president of LTV Aerospace. He resigned in 1985 to start his own consulting firm. Along with his Apollo 11 crewmates, Collins was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2011.
(2)Astronaut
Michael Collins was a former American astronaut and test pilot. Selected as part of the third group of fourteen astronauts in 1963, he flew in space twice. His first spaceflight was Gemini 10, in which he and command pilot John Young performed two rendezvous with different spacecraft and Collins undertook two EVAs. His second spaceflight was as the command module pilot for Apollo 11. While he orbited the Moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made the first manned landing on the lunar surface.
During his day flying solo around the Moon, Collins never felt lonely. Although it has been said "not since Adam has any human known such solitude", Collins felt very much a part of the mission. In his autobiography he wrote "this venture has been structured for three men, and I consider my third to be as necessary as either of the other two". In the 48 minutes of each orbit when he was out of radio contact with the Earth while Columbia passed round the far side of the Moon, the feeling he reported was not fear or loneliness, but rather "awareness, anticipation, satisfaction, confidence, almost exultation"
After spending so much time with the CSM, Collins felt compelled to leave his mark on it, so during the second night following their return from the Moon, he went to the lower equipment bay of the CM and wrote:
"Spacecraft 107 – alias Apollo 11 – alias Columbia. The best ship to come down the line. God Bless Her. Michael Collins, CMP"
After retiring from NASA in 1970, Collins 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, and held this position until 1978, when he stepped down to become undersecretary of the Smithsonian Institution. In 1980, he took a job as vice president of LTV Aerospace. He resigned in 1985 to start his own consulting firm. Along with his Apollo 11 crewmates, Collins was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 1, 2023
Written by Michael Collins, the Command Module Pilot (CMP) for the Apollo 11 mission, Liftoff captures the route America had taken to space—up to, at least, 1989, when it was published. It starts with America's response to Sputnik; through Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo; through Skylab and the Apollo-Suyez mission; and, finally, the Shuttle program and the looming specter of the Challenger disaster. It wraps with a final call to arms from Collins, asking the world to consider what should come next and how it might need to be achieved.
1. I really appreciated the illustrations by James Dean to help with the visualization of all the various things Collins describes. All the components and evolutions and bits and bobs were so interesting! Being able to see them really added a nice facet to the reading experience.
2. Collin's prose is, once again, a delight. I enjoy his observations on the space program, his experiences, and his passions.
3. As another reviewer has said, I wish there was an updated version of this available, to discuss all the developments that have happened since 1989: the launch of the Hubble, the Hubble repairs, the Mir engagement, the Columbia disaster, the launch of the ISS, the Webb Telescope proposal and development—all things that extend Collins's summary. Their loss is keenly felt, and I am very curious what he'd have to say about them.
1. I really appreciated the illustrations by James Dean to help with the visualization of all the various things Collins describes. All the components and evolutions and bits and bobs were so interesting! Being able to see them really added a nice facet to the reading experience.
2. Collin's prose is, once again, a delight. I enjoy his observations on the space program, his experiences, and his passions.
3. As another reviewer has said, I wish there was an updated version of this available, to discuss all the developments that have happened since 1989: the launch of the Hubble, the Hubble repairs, the Mir engagement, the Columbia disaster, the launch of the ISS, the Webb Telescope proposal and development—all things that extend Collins's summary. Their loss is keenly felt, and I am very curious what he'd have to say about them.
September 19, 2025
Can at times be a tedious read but a great book going through NASA from the start to 1989. All from the view of the big moon orbiter himself Michael Collins.
November 3, 2022
I wish, I wish, I wish.... there was an updated edition of this book - one that didn't end 20 years ago, when the ISS was just still in the planning stage (couldn't help but smile as I read about a proposed Japanese laboratory, which is now a reality of course).
I found Collins's style of writing extremely readable - he has the knack of including technical detail without being either confusing or patronising. I squeed with delight at the sight of equations, and reference to derivatives! Woohoo!!! Mathematics!!!! And I finally understand the where and why of Challenger's O-rings. The way he writes feels very direct, like listening to him talk about things he obviously feels passionately about.
I guess I don't need to add that I enjoyed this book very much.
I found Collins's style of writing extremely readable - he has the knack of including technical detail without being either confusing or patronising. I squeed with delight at the sight of equations, and reference to derivatives! Woohoo!!! Mathematics!!!! And I finally understand the where and why of Challenger's O-rings. The way he writes feels very direct, like listening to him talk about things he obviously feels passionately about.
I guess I don't need to add that I enjoyed this book very much.
Read
August 20, 2021I've had this book on my shelf for years, but I finally decided to read it because Michael Collins died a few months ago.
Don't expect stirring, soaring prose. Collins wrote like the engineer and test pilot that he was. However, he inserts into the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo chapters a number of anecdotes that I had never read before (and, trust me, I've read a lot of space-related books and articles over the decades).
The book came out a couple of years after the Challenger accident, just before NASA returned the space shuttle to flight. Obviously, much has happened since then. Many of his thoughts about the future, such as travel to Mars, have yet to be realized.
Don't expect stirring, soaring prose. Collins wrote like the engineer and test pilot that he was. However, he inserts into the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo chapters a number of anecdotes that I had never read before (and, trust me, I've read a lot of space-related books and articles over the decades).
The book came out a couple of years after the Challenger accident, just before NASA returned the space shuttle to flight. Obviously, much has happened since then. Many of his thoughts about the future, such as travel to Mars, have yet to be realized.
February 10, 2019
I got interested in Michael Collins after realizing he was part of the first lunar mission, but didn't go on the moon. This book was interesting, even to me, someone who is mildly interested in the missions. To someone who would be very interested, this would be a great book. It's written very much like a diary.
April 29, 2024
Super fun book talking about the history of space exploration (other books can be quite dry/boring). Having a past astronauts first hand experience was cool to read.
March 21, 2017
Great book. Collins is a smart and thoughtful writer, and his personal experience of the space program lends a personal touch to the more general information and perspective he also brings. The "where do we go from here" section at the end seems a bit dated, but the history and general thinking is fascinating.
June 27, 2012
"The boundary line between a blue and white planet, and one that is gray and tan, is fragile. Is the riverbank a delight or an obscenity, a place for diving ducks or greasy truck tires? I cry that the technology that produced this marvelous machine we call Columbia leaves in its wake the detritus of a century of industrial abuse. It need not be that way. We can use technology to cleanse, to repair, to maintain – even as we build, as we spiral out into the universe."
Written by Michael Collins, the often forgotten third astronaut on the Apollo 11 mission who didn’t get to land on the moon, this book spans the years of the beginnings of NASA, to the start of the space shuttle program. It encompasses the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions as well as the various men involved in the program from the astronauts to the engineers and includes drawings and diagrams of various vehicles, spacecraft and characters. It was fascinating to learn about the inner workings of the agency, from the original module designs to the disagreements over policy to all of the complexities of such an ambitious undertaking as going to the moon.
The idealism and passion behind the program was palpable in the writing. It didn’t hurt that the book was peppered with quotes from various people of the period, including employees which created atmosphere and a sense of urgency. They make the story of the space program come alive and show that the agency was the optimistic hope of a younger nation with hopes that stretched out beyond the boundaries of the Earth. As time wore on you could see and feel how NASA changed, adapting to a changing world and ever evolving technology. I liked how we got to see how NASA matured as an agency and how the original aspirations and plans changed over time due to budget constraints and political opinion. I also found the section concerning Apollo 1 very educational. I was aware of the troubles that Apollo 13 had faced thanks to the movie but was unaware of the tragic ending of the first Apollo mission. It was interesting to see how NASA handled the situation and how the world reacted.
Collins is very good at detail. The problem is he’s too good. While I was trying to work my way through the book I was constantly bogged down by all of the numbers and figures Collins peppers throughout the book. At one point I was so frustrated I didn’t want to finish the book. I understand the book was written by an analytical mind about a real time in history but the main point to take into consideration is that it’s a book first. If it’s not readable, people won’t read it and then instead of being a book it’s just tree pulp sitting on a shelf somewhere. My other complaint is that there isn’t an addendum to this book with an update of NASA over the past twenty years. So much has changed in that span of time that the space shuttle program isn’t even running anymore.
I will say that there were some dramatic moments that made for some good reading. I wasn’t even aware that SkyLab existed until reading this book. Overall it was a fascinating read.
Whether prescient or not, Collins does have a section where he says that Mars is the next frontier, which appears to be where some think we should be heading next. Others want to head back to the moon, whether to mine it for materials such as helium or water or whether to set up a permanent base. Whatever we decide to do, we’re still fascinated by space and I hope we continue to look up and wonder about what might be out there, just waiting to be discovered.
If you are interested in the history of NASA’s space program and don’t mind extra detail included with the narrative, pick up this book.
Written by Michael Collins, the often forgotten third astronaut on the Apollo 11 mission who didn’t get to land on the moon, this book spans the years of the beginnings of NASA, to the start of the space shuttle program. It encompasses the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions as well as the various men involved in the program from the astronauts to the engineers and includes drawings and diagrams of various vehicles, spacecraft and characters. It was fascinating to learn about the inner workings of the agency, from the original module designs to the disagreements over policy to all of the complexities of such an ambitious undertaking as going to the moon.
The idealism and passion behind the program was palpable in the writing. It didn’t hurt that the book was peppered with quotes from various people of the period, including employees which created atmosphere and a sense of urgency. They make the story of the space program come alive and show that the agency was the optimistic hope of a younger nation with hopes that stretched out beyond the boundaries of the Earth. As time wore on you could see and feel how NASA changed, adapting to a changing world and ever evolving technology. I liked how we got to see how NASA matured as an agency and how the original aspirations and plans changed over time due to budget constraints and political opinion. I also found the section concerning Apollo 1 very educational. I was aware of the troubles that Apollo 13 had faced thanks to the movie but was unaware of the tragic ending of the first Apollo mission. It was interesting to see how NASA handled the situation and how the world reacted.
Collins is very good at detail. The problem is he’s too good. While I was trying to work my way through the book I was constantly bogged down by all of the numbers and figures Collins peppers throughout the book. At one point I was so frustrated I didn’t want to finish the book. I understand the book was written by an analytical mind about a real time in history but the main point to take into consideration is that it’s a book first. If it’s not readable, people won’t read it and then instead of being a book it’s just tree pulp sitting on a shelf somewhere. My other complaint is that there isn’t an addendum to this book with an update of NASA over the past twenty years. So much has changed in that span of time that the space shuttle program isn’t even running anymore.
I will say that there were some dramatic moments that made for some good reading. I wasn’t even aware that SkyLab existed until reading this book. Overall it was a fascinating read.
Whether prescient or not, Collins does have a section where he says that Mars is the next frontier, which appears to be where some think we should be heading next. Others want to head back to the moon, whether to mine it for materials such as helium or water or whether to set up a permanent base. Whatever we decide to do, we’re still fascinated by space and I hope we continue to look up and wonder about what might be out there, just waiting to be discovered.
If you are interested in the history of NASA’s space program and don’t mind extra detail included with the narrative, pick up this book.
April 2, 2017
An interesting account of the US space program from Mercury up to the Shuttle. Written in 1988, it ends shortly after the Challenger explosion and before the Hubble Space Telescope was launched. The information on the early space programs is easy to read and very informative. It's a little amusing to read the later chapters on the future of space exploration where the author speculates on the possibility of an International space station after I've seen it flying across the night sky with my own eyes. I would still recommend this book for anyone interested in the early space programs of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo, just read the last chapter with a little humour.
August 8, 2022
recommended by an Expert
November 17, 2016
I learned a lot about the early space program, particularly Gemini and Skylab. It was also interested to read the "future" of NASA and space exploration from a mid-80s perspective.
February 6, 2014
Well-written, informative.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews