The Apollo 11 astronaut you need to know

First human to walk on the moon? Neil Armstrong.

Second? Buzz Aldrin.

Can you name the third astronaut on the historic Apollo 11 mission? His name is Michael Collins, and he had the critical task of piloting around the moon while Neil and Buzz sealed their names in history books.

Michael Collins is beyond trivia. He is that rare intersection in one human being of both extraordinary ability at a task (pilot) and the capacity to translate his work to others in a simple language (teacher). His gift of communication offers insights into one of the most important events in all of human history: landing on the moon.

There are countless moments of fascination in Collins’ 1974 book Carrying the Fire. Written without a ghostwriter, Collins produces a remarkably clean piece of work that is a talent unto itself. It is the type of book to come back to repeatedly over time. His account of piloting life and the successful 1969 Apollo 11 mission bursts with insider observations that are interesting to specialists and non-NASA folk alike.

Hopefully, Bill Gates will find a copy in his book bag soon and popularize this deserving title; or, perhaps Oprah will mobilize her iconic book club and interview this still-living legend. In the meantime, here are some favorite morsels:

• ON THE IMPORTANCE OF INCLUDING USERS IN THE DESIGN PROCESS

  “[T]he astronauts were hired early enough to participate in the design phases of Gemini and Apollo, and in my view this was one of the wisest decisions NASA made.”

• ON THE TRUE MEANING OF “ATTITUDE”
  “[B]y far the most common typographical error in aeronautics or astronautics is ‘altitude’ for ‘attitude', and vice-versa… Attitude really means which way something is pointed. Up, down, toward the sun, or what?”

• ON THE DEFINING RESPONSIBILITY OF A COMMANDER
  “…Neil (as commanders always do) rides over on the left side, where the abort handle is located.”

• ON THE ORIGINAL - AND HISTORICALLY MISQUOTED - FAMOUS NEIL ARMSTRONG SENTENCE
  “Neil’s statement the other day upon first setting foot on the surface of the moon, ‘This is a small step for a man, but a great leap for mankind,’ I believe, sums up these feelings very nicely.”

• ON THE MOON AFTER APOLLO 11
  “The small moon, the one I have known all my life, remains unchanged, except that I now know it is three days away.”

• ON THE FUNDAMENTAL ROLE - AND INEVITABLE LIMITATION - OF LANGUAGE IN OUR HUMAN LIVES
  “It is perhaps a pity that my eyes have seen more than my brain has been able to assimilate or evaluate, but like the Druids at Stonehenge, I have attempted to bring order out of what I have observed, even if I have not understood it fully. Unfortunately, my feelings cannot be conveyed by the clever arrangement of stone pillars. I am condemned to the use of words.”