posted 01-15-2007 08:00 AM               

"...there is a special place in hell for autograph seekers."

I am sure there are other great quotes out there.

posted 01-15-2007 02:25 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by fabfivefreddy:
"...there is a special place in hell for autograph seekers."

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quote:

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A close second [to the frustration of answering the same question over and over again] is autographing things, especially "To Cousin Esmeradla, and Baby Jane, and all the boys at the fire station, and put down the date, and sign your name so we can read it." Jesus, lady, I don't do that well by my banker. Kids collecting autographs I can understand, and I don't think I have ever barked at one of them, but pushy adults are something else. A perceptive PR man told me one time, shortly after Apollo 11 that there was a special place in hell reserved for autograph seekers; I didn't know what he meant then, but I do now.

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posted 01-15-2007 04:58 PM               

In fact, it's quite amazing that Neil and Buzz continued to sign for free for many years to come after that experience. I can't blame Mike for no longer signing after that.

posted 01-15-2007 05:00 PM               

“The study of the stars themselves was interesting, I thought, one of the most interesting parts of our training, despite its being pure rote. There is something fascination about the stars. Even today, when I fly in the night sky, particularly in the pure desert air of the Southwest, I look up and experience an almost physical wave of nostalgia. There are my old friends, the stars, ready to guide me back to the moon or past it into the black velvet where only they are visible.”

As an amateur astronomer I can understand Michael's emotions about he splender of the stars. While many books have been written about how to observe and when to observe and what to observe in the night sky one book stands out as THE book to read to understand why people observe the night sky. Leslie Peliter was an amateur astronomer who was born in 1900. He wrote what is often called a warm hearted biography about his life. The title of the book is Starlight Nights.

After reading Michael's thoughts about the stars and his feelings of nostalgia for the stars I decided to see if I could get Michael a copy of Starlight Nights and encourage Michael to read it. I was able to do that. I sent Michael a copy of the book and explained why I felt he would be interested in reading it. I thought he might like to read about Peltiers love for the stars. In my letter to Michael I explained that the book was a gift and that if he had no desire to read it he could donate it to a local library. About a year after sending Michael the book I received it back from him, along with a hand written letter. In that letter Michael Thanked me for the book and he explained that he was returning it to me in hopes that "you will give it to someone else who will enjoy it as much as I did. I signed the inside front corner; maybe future recipients could do the same and pass the book back and forth until it disintegrates in to stardust".

I feel the desire to pass the book on to others to read but I have not done that and I doubt I will. I encourage everyone who even has a passing interest it he sky to read the book but this copy, and its travels, and Michael's hand written letter to me, is now part of my collection. Maybe even the diamond of my collection.

I don't know how Michael feels about autograph seekers now but he was kind to me. While I was not seeking an autograph from him I received two. One in the book and one at the bottom of the letter. I like the fact that Michael does do some signings. Even though they are private he does still sign.

posted 01-15-2007 06:58 PM            

What a great story! Mike's such a stubborn cuss that when I try to push him into painting space subjects, he pushes back just as hard, refusing and painting fish instead. I try to coax some nostalgia out of him or feelings about the flight to no avail.

It's good to know his deeper feelings are insightful. I try to explain to him how people feel about Apollo 11 on a primal level. I was worried only Buzz understood.

Thanks for that.

Kim Poor

posted 01-15-2007 07:07 PM               

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Originally posted by Novaspace:
What a great story! Mike's such a stubborn cuss that when I try to push him into painting space subjects, he pushes back just as hard, refusing and painting fish instead.

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You must be making some headway, considering that he has at least painted a fish launching from Pad 19.

Maybe he'll eventually do a fish in lunar orbit? Keep pushing...

P.S. - Mike, you convinced me to order a copy of Starlight Nights for myself. I just finished clicking my way through Amazon to get a copy!

posted 01-15-2007 09:07 PM               

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Originally posted by Novaspace:
Mike

What a great story! It's good to know his deeper feelings are insightful. I try to explain to him how people feel about Apollo 11 on a primal level. I was worried only Buzz understood.

Thanks for that.

Kim Poor

[Edited by Novaspace (January 15, 2007).]

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Well if you are interested in some more of his feelings let me share more of his letter.

"First let me apologize for taking so long to answer your interesting letter. Starlight Nights set on the corner of my desk for many months, while I read it a snippet at a time. I confess I enjoyed the non-astronomical parts the most, but never mind, it is a delightful read in all respects. People of his era seem to retain the memories of the good things in their lives and to reject, or at least to gloss over the bad parts. No so today. Oddly enough, his only criticism was of going to the Moon, but maybe he did not think of an observatory on its back side. At any rate, Thanks, and all good wishes to you and yours."

I had to check Starlight Nights to see what Michael felt was a criticism of going to the Moon. Peltier wrote:

"Of all the signs of changing times which my telescope has seen, the ones it views with ominous concern are neither on the earth nor in the depths of space. So often, of late years, strange lights pass across the star field I am watching through the telescope. All to well I realize that I have been witness to mankind's latest pollution in the name of progress-the contamination of the skies. Already, in only the eighth year of the Space Age, the sky is littered with a jumble of jettisoned nose cones, carriers, and drop-off stages from the multitude of spacecraft place in orbit round the earth. These cerements of space will circle uncontrolled across the skies until, in time, the pressure of light and the slight resistance of the upper atmosphere will slow them down until at last, as man-made meteors, they will make their final fiery plunge, trailing behind them a wake of ashes to continue the contamination. I know that someday man will reach the Moon but I sincerely hope this will not happen for a long, long time. He has a lot of growing up to do before he will be ready for the Moon. So much that man touches he destroys."

After I read this I felt guilty about sending the book to Michael Collins, but then I remembered Peltier observed the night sky early in the 1900s from a community that did not have electricity which means no sky glow to interfere with his observations. Peltier loved the sky so much that he did not want anything to interfere with his observing. Not even the space program.

Mike Myer
Humboldt KS

posted 01-15-2007 09:38 PM               

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Originally posted by mjanovec:
P.S. - Mike, you convinced me to order a copy of Starlight Nights for myself. I just finished clicking my way through Amazon to get a copy!

[Edited by mjanovec (January 15, 2007).]

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It is an excellent book. I actually have three copies. David Levy of the Comet Shoemaker Levy fame wrote the forward in the re-release. I had the chance to meet David a few years ago so I asked him to sign the book. I took Miranda with me and before he signed it Miranda had talked David into personalizing it Miranda. The second copy is the one signed by Michael Collins. The third is an orginal 1965 hardback. It has a neat drawing on the cover.

I hope Peltiers views of the space program does not keep Cs members from reading the book. It just shows how much Leslie loved the night sky.

Mike Myer
Humboldt KS

posted 01-15-2007 09:56 PM               

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Originally posted by mdmyer:
I hope Peltiers views of the space program does not keep Cs members from reading the book. It just shows how much Leslie loved the night sky.

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From what you posted, I don't find his view all that disturbing. It just seems as if he wants to keep from polluting the moon from mankind's impacts. After all, when man has colonized new continents, he has tended to exploit them for their natural resources and leave behind unpleasant residue of his conquest. There is something majestic about the moon's pristine "untouched" condition that obviously appealed to him.

I look forward to reading his book!

Mark