Who Flew the Ship When Mike Collins Went to Sleep?

By Nancy Atkinson - July 12, 2009 at 6:46 AM UTC | Missions
Mike-Collins.jpg

I mentioned in a previous post that upcoming, there would be lots of fun ways to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, and here's one I hope you enjoy. My latest podcast on the

365 Days of Astronomy is my reminiscences about that event,

which includes another song I wrote. It's about Apollo 11 through the eyes of a young girl, (which I was at the time), with all the interesting questions and the unique viewpoint that children can bring.

Back on July 20 1969, with everyone focusing on whether Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin would make it down to the lunar surface, my thoughts stayed with Mike Collins up orbiting all alone in the command and service module, which is what the song is about. I was inspired and brought back to that time by a children's book, "

The Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins"

by Bea Uusma Schyffert. It's a wonderful book that focuses on Michael Collins and what he did, and what he saw, and the things he thought about in space.

The book brought me back to that time, and how I sat in front of the TV watching history unfold. I don't remember exactly what I was thinking or the questions I had, but I'm sure there was a lot going on inside my little head, and likely, that event was part of what brought me to where I am today.

I hope you enjoy it.

Apollo 11 Through the Eyes of a Young Girl

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com