Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434) 560 Drillfield Drive Newman Library, Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 Business Number: 540-231-6308 specref@vt.edu URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu
John M. Jackson, Archivist, Kira A. Dietz, Archivist, Betsy Reed, Student Assistant, and Hannah Bochain, Student Assistant
Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
The collection includes the papers of Michael Collins, pilot, astronaut, assistant secretary of state, director of the National
Air and Space Museum and author, dating from 1907-2004. Materials include reports, instruction manuals, personal notes, printed
materials, audio recordings, photographs, awards and memorabilia associated with Collins' Air Force, NASA, State Department
and NASM careers. There are also papers and research relating to Collins' writings; materials from public speaking engagements
and board and club memberships; and small sets of personal correspondence and biographical material.
Much of this collection is copyrighted. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives
for assistance in determining the use of these materials.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization
form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition
form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with
forms or to submit a completed form.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open to research.
Existence and Location of Copies
Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online .
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder],
Michael Collins Papers, Ms1989-029, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
Source of Acquisition
The Michael Collins Papers were donated to Special Collections and University Archives in 1989. Additional donations were
acquired in 2005 and 2007.
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Michael Collins Papers commenced in July 2003 and was completed in September
2003. Preliminary processing had been performed during the early 1990s. Donations from 2005 and 2007 were processed, arranged,
and described in November and December 2014.
Pilot, astronaut, U.S. assistant secretary of state, National Air and Space Museum director, and author, Michael Collins was
born in Rome, Italy, on October 31, 1930. He graduated from Saint Albans School in Washington, D.C., before attending the
U.S. Military Academy (West Point), where he obtained a bachelor of science degree in 1952.
Collins received an Air Force commission and, after pilot training, was assigned to Nellis Air Base for advanced training
on the F-86 Sabrejet. Upon completion of training, he was assigned to the 21st Fighter- Bomber Wing, stationed in Victorville,
California and, later, France. In 1961, Collins completed test pilot school and was assigned to Edwards Air Force Base, where
he tested experimental fighter jets. (In the meantime, he had married Patricia Finnegan; the couple would have three children:
Kathleen, Ann and Michael.)
Interested in NASA's manned space program, Collins enrolled in the newly established Aerospace Pilot School in 1963. In October
of that year, he was among the third group of astronauts selected by NASA. Collins served as a member of the backup crew for
the Gemini 7 mission and as pilot of NASA's Gemini 10 mission (launched July 18, 1966) with commander John Young. Among the
mission's noteworthy accomplishments were the establishment of a new orbital altitude record, a rendezvous with an Agena target
vehicle, and two spacewalks conducted by Collins.
Due to the rotational basis on which astronauts were assigned to Apollo missions, Collins was originally scheduled to be a
member of the Apollo 8 flight crew. His need for back surgery, however, forced his re- assignment to a later mission. The
postponement placed Collins on the crew of Apollo 11 (launched July 16, 1969), the first manned mission to land on the lunar
surface. As the mission's command module pilot, Collins orbited the moon while commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot
Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin descended to its surface.
In January 1970, Collins resigned from NASA and served as assistant secretary of state for public affairs before becoming
the first director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in April 1971; he was promoted to undersecretary
of the Smithsonian in April 1978. During this time, Collins began writing about his experiences in the space program, leading
to his book Carrying the Fire (and a subsequent children's adaptation, Flying to the Moon and Other Strange Places ). His expertise and talents led to numerous requests for speaking engagements, articles and book reviews. In 1988, he published
Liftoff!, a book on the history and future of space exploration; his Mission to Mars was published in 1990.
Collins served on the boards of numerous organizations and corporations throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He became vice-president
of field operations for the Vought Corporation in 1980, then resigned to head his own consulting firm, Michael Collins Associates,
in 1985. He retired from the Air Force Reserve with the rank of major general in 1982.
Collins' awards include the Presidential Medal of Freedom; the Collier, Harmon and Goddard trophies; the Air Force Distinguished
Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster; the Distinguished Flying Cross and many others. He has received awards from eleven other
countries and honorary degrees from six colleges and universities.
The Michael Collins Papers document the life and career of Collins, pilot, astronaut, assistant secretary of state, director
of the National Air and Space Museum (NASM), and author.
The collection comprises correspondence, notes, printed material, photographs, and audio recordings from Collins' Air Force
career, training at the U. S. Test Pilot School and Experimental Flight Center, participation in NASA's Gemini and Apollo
programs, and tenure at the State Department and NASM. The collection also includes materials associated with Collins' books
Carrying the Fire , Flying to the Moon and Other Strange Places , and Liftoff! , as well as various articles and book reviews written by him. Collins' many public appearances are represented here with
background materials, speech notes, texts, printed material, and photographs. The collection also contains a number of files,
largely composed of correspondence, devoted to Collins' involvement with various boards and clubs. In addition, there are
small sets of personal correspondence, biographical materials, and an assortment of honors and memorabilia.
The collection is arranged in the following series:
Series I. Air Force, 1953-1973. This series contains Collins' individual flight record (including his later NASA flights) and an accident report for the
crash of an F-86 fighter jet piloted by him. The series also consists of a number of test pilot manuals from the USAF Flight
Test Center and reports written by Collins while at the Experimental Flight Test Pilot School. Additionally, there are a few
items relating to survival training and an Aerospace Research Pilot School publication with sketches and photographs of ARPS
and Experimental Test Pilot School graduates. The series is arranged chronologically.
Series II. Project Gemini, 1962-1967. The Project Gemini Series contains a number of preparatory materials which has instruction manuals, class materials and Collins'
own notes on astronomy, geology and the Gemini spacecraft. From the Gemini 10 flight, the series consists of an audio recording
of the liftoff, transcripts of voice communications and mission commentaries, and photographs. The series also comprises official
post-mission reports and two Gemini 10 newsclipping scrapbooks. The series is arranged in subseries by material type.
Series III. Project Apollo, 1966-2004. Like the Project Gemini series, this series contains Collins' preparatory notes. Additionally, it includes transcripts of
mission commentary, flight communications, and press feeds during post-flight recovery of the command module. The series has
a number of audio recordings, which range from a pre-flight press conference to television coverage of the mission, and post-mission
public appearances by the crew. Print media coverage of the mission may be found in a set of NASA Current News publications and other printed materials. The series consists of approximately 200 mission photographs and a number of commemorative
materials. (Among the more unusual items are a collection of songs and poems inspired by Apollo 11 and a book of congratulatory
letters from French civic leaders.) Post-mission materials comprises files devoted to five- and ten-year anniversary observances
of the moon landing and audio recordings relating to the Apollo program and missions 12 and 13. The series is arranged in
subseries by material type. Within subseries, materials are in chronological order wherever possible.
Series IV. Assistant Secretary of State, 1969-1971. Collins' brief career with the U. S. State Department is chronicled here through notes, correspondence (including letters
from President Nixon), audio recordings and printed materials. The series is arranged by item format, then chronologically.
Series V. National Air and Space Museum, 1971-1979. This series comprises materials relating to Collins' directorship of NASM - particularly to the museum's design, groundbreaking
and opening. The collection also consists of newsclippings devoted to museum exhibits and Collins as director. Audio recordings
of events commemorating Collins' farewell complete the series. Arranged by form of item, then chronologically.
Series VI. Boards and Clubs, 1973-1989. This series, largely devoted to the many advisory and editorial boards on which Collins served throughout the 1970s and 1980s,
includes correspondence, notes, printed materials and photographs. There are a few folders on clubs to which Collins belonged.
The series is arranged alphabetically by organization name.
Series VII. Writings, 1908-2004. This series comprises materials relating to the writing and publication of Collins' books Carrying the Fire , Flying to the Moon and Other Strange Places , and Liftoff! and includes background materials, typescripts, galley proofs, reviews and publicity. (The files for Carrying the Fire also have correspondence with Charles Lindbergh about his foreword to the book.) A number of Collins' articles, book reviews
and opinion / editorial pieces are contained here as well. The series is arranged in subseries by publication type (book,
magazine article, book review, etc.), then chronologically within each subseries.
Series VIII. Speeches, 1970-1996. Collins' many public addresses throughout the 1970s and 1980s are represented here with background materials, speech texts,
printed materials and photographs. The series is arranged chronologically by date of speech.
Series IX. Personal Correspondence, 1963-1973. This small series comprises correspondence which did not fit neatly into those series devoted to specific aspects of Collins'
career. It has a number of letters relating to NASA and the Apollo program. (Most noteworthy are letters from "Buzz" Aldrin,
Charles Lindbergh and Lyndon B. Johnson.) The series is arranged chronologically.
Series X. Biographical Materials, 1966-2003. Like the personal correspondence series, this series was created from materials not associated with any specific aspect of
Collins' public career. The series consists of a few printed materials with interviews or biographical sketches of Collins
and several photographs. The series is arranged in subsidies by material type.
Series XI. Honors and Memorabilia, 1961-1989. This series contains awards honoring Collins and his work the form of certificates, medals, and plaques from the United States,
individual states, foreign countries, military organizations, and private corporations. The series also has just a few items
of memorabilia, among which are a piece of fabric from the Kitty Hawk "Wright Flyer," Collins' pilot clipboard, a Gemini sunscreen
plate, a short film of Collins family scenes and commemorative items from NASA's Apollo and Voyager missions. The series is
arranged in subsidies by material type. Within subseries, materials are in chronological order wherever possible.
The following items were transferred to the Rare Book Collection:
Aeronautics: The American Magazine of Aerial Locomotion, 8(5), November 1910.
Hallion, Richard P., "Girding for War: Perspectives on Research, Development, Acquisition, and the Decision-making Environment
of the 1980's," Edwards Air Force Base, CA: History Office, Air Force Flight Test Center, 1985.
Journey to Halley's Comet , [S.l.]: NASA, 1980.
National Security Strategy of the United States , Washington, D.C.: The White House, 1988.
Origin and Evolution of Life--Implications for the Planets: a Scientific Strategy for the 1980's , Washington, D. C.: National Academy of Sciences, 1981.
Our First Quarter Century of Achievement... Just the Beginning [NASA 25th anniversary press kit], [S.l.]: NASA, 1983.
Report to the President : Actions to Implement the Recommendations of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger
Accident , [Washington, D.C.: U.S.G.P.O., 1986].
To the Moon : the Story in Sound [sound recordings with accompanying book], New York: Time Life Records, 1969.
Ethics of Change: Humanistic Values versus Technological Imperatives , New Smyrna Beach, FL: Atlantic Center for the Arts, 1988.
Viking Orbiter Views of Mars , Washington, DC: NASA Scientific and Technical Information Branch, 1980.
Major accident report: F-86F - Chaumont Air Base (France)
August 16, 1956
box-folder 1 folder: 3
"Aerodynamics Handbook for Performance Flight Testing", Air Force Flight Test Center, vol. 1
July 1960
box-folder 1 4 (2 folders)
"Pilot's Handbook for Performance Flight Testing", Air Force Flight Test Center
September 1, 1960
box-folder 1 5 (2 folders)
"Combined Performance Report" by Michael Collins, USAF Experimental Flight Test Pilot School
December 1960
box-folder 2 1 (3 folders)
"A Limited Stability and Control Investigation of the T-28A, T-33A, B-57E, and F-86E; a Qualitative Evaluation of the T-28A
and F-104D and Spin Tests on the T-28A and F-86F" by Michael Collins, USAF Experimental Flight Test Pilot School
April 10, 1961
box-folder 2 folder: 2
"Pilot's Handbook for Stability and Control Flight Testing", Air Force Flight Test Center, Vol. 1
May 1961
box-folder 2 folder: 3
"Pilot's Handbook for Stability and Control Flight Testing", Air Force Flight Test Center, Vol. 2
March 1961
box-folder 2 folder: 4
"Flight Qualification of Fletcher and Royal Jet F-104 200-Gallon Nestable Pylon Tanks" by Frank N. Lucero and Michael Collins
February 1962
box-folder 2 folder: 5
Air Force survival training
c. 1964
box-folder 2 folder: 6
The USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School
1967
Scope and Content
This publication contains sketches and photographs of graduates from ARPS and the USAF Experimental Flight Test Pilot School
from 1955 to 1967.