MICHAEL Collins was part of the three-man crew of Apollo 11’s mission to the moon.
Collins played a key role in making American and world history.
Collins was coined “The Forgotten Astronaut” of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, when he stayed behind in the ship while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon.
Collins remained on the ship to pilot the command module as it orbited around the moon but never took a step on the surface.
When describing the mission he said, “The thing I remember most is the view of planet Earth from a great distance. Tiny. Very shiny. Blue and white. Bright. Beautiful. Serene and fragile.”
Before joining NASA he was an Air Force officer and former test pilot and first flew to space in 1966 on Gemini 10.
Six months after the trip he left NASA and went on to become the assistant secretary of state for public affairs and a founding director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum.
After that he became undersecretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
Along with his fellow crewmates Collins was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2011.
Collins died at 90 years old after a “valiant battle with cancer.”
His family released a statement on April 28 saying, “He spent his final days peacefully, with his family by his side. Mike always faced the challenges of life with grace and humility, and faced this, his final challenge in the same way.”
Collins leaves behind three children and grandchildren.
