They also serve who orbit round and wait

[kalypso_v]

I enjoyed the feature on Michael Collins in The Observer yesterday: not the Irish politician, but the third astronaut on Apollo 11. His fear of returning to Earth without his comrades; his exultation as he travelled alone around the far side of the Moon; his successful adaptation to ordinary life. He doesn't want to be called a hero, but he

Comments

[vilakins]

Thank you for the link. I suppose for the other two, life afterwards was a huge anticlimax, whereas for Collins it was a huge joyous relief. It's interesting that he (and his marriage) did so well afterwards.

I remember when I was a kid meeting men who had fought in the war who said that they never truly felt alive since. Collins doesn't seem to be one of those.

Astro has recommended his book; I must see if I can get it from the library.

[gwendraith]

Thanks for the Observer link about Michael Collins, it was interesting to read. I was 18 at the time of the first landing and glued to the television. I had written to NASA and they kindly sent me details of all the space missions to date and some photographs.

Interesting titbit about the missing famous words :-)

[glitterboy1]

Thank you for the links.

It's been interesting, too, to hear about the technology of the space mission, as well, and how far advanced things are now in comparison.

[espresso_addict]

I watched Apollo Wives, which was surprisingly interesting. Apparently divorce was extremely common among the astronauts -- Collins must have been one of the few exceptions.