American astronaut Michael Collins – the pilot of the command vehicle of the legendary Apollo 11, the first manned mission to reach the Moon in 1969 – died on April 28 from cancer, at the age of 90, according to a statement from his family.
Collins was the third member of the mission crew to make the historic, first trip to the Moon. He has been described as the "forgotten astronaut"because he never set foot on the lunar surface, but remained in orbit in the spacecraftwhile his two colleagues – Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin – made history by walking on the Moon. As such, he did not gain the same global recognition as the other two astronauts.
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However, he was hailed as a lifelong spokesperson for space exploration: intelligent, witty, and self-assured, while in a 2009 interview with NASA he stated that his historic achievements were “90% luck” and that astronauts should not be praised as heroes.
Collins' family posted a tweet from the astronaut's official account, which read: "Mike always faced life's challenges with grace and humility, and he faced this final challenge with the same grace." Additionally, in its statement, his family hopes the world will remember him "for his ageless spirit, steadfast sense of duty, and the wise eye he gained orbiting the Earth from space and observing the calm waters while fishing in his boat.
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US President Joe Bidensaid the following: “While Collins may not have had equal glory, he was an equal partner, reminding our nation of the importance of working together to serve and achieve great goals.”
But let's take a closer look at some things about the life of Michael Collins.
Michael Collins was an astronaut and test pilot. He was born on October 31, 1930 in Rome, while father was Major General James Lawton Collins (1882-1963), who served in the US Army for 38 years.
Michael Collins traveled to space twice, the first time aboard the Gemini 10 and the second time as the pilot of the Apollo 11 mission (July 20, 1969). While Collins remained in orbit around the Moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed in the lunar module and became the first people to walk on the Moon. Even without ever setting foot on its surface, Collins remains one of only 24 people in human history to have traveled to the Moon. He was also the 4th person in history (the third American) to perform a "spacewalk" (extravehicular activity, EVA) and the first to perform more than one.
Although he was the only member of the Apollo 11 who did not set foot on the Moon, he always said that he felt no bitterness. He even claimed that he was “very happy to be all alone” in space for 32 hours and commented with humor that “he was one of the few Americans who did not watch the moon landing, since he did not have a television on the spacecraft.
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Following the example of Armstrong and Aldrin, Collins left NASA very quickly (1970) after their triumphant return to Earth. He was appointed Deputy Secretary of Statefor Public Affairs by then-US President Richard Nixon, and then took charge of the construction of the Washington Air Force Museum, of which he eventually became president (1971-1978).
He also wrote several books about his space adventures.
"My dear Mike, wherever you have been, wherever you are going, you will always have the flame to carry us skillfully to new skies and into the future. We will miss you. Rest in peace,"was the farewell message from Buzz Aldrin, the last of the historic trio still alive.
NASA said: "Today the nation lost a true pioneer. Some called him 'the loneliest man' in history. While his colleagues were walking on the Moon for the first time, he was helping our nation achieve a critical milestone . "
