Michael Collins, the forgotten astronaut of Apollo 11, dies at 90 Reuters 8 hrs ago
By Rosalba O Brien
(Reuters) -American astronaut Michael Collins, who as pilot of the Apollo 11 command module stayed behind on July 20, 1969, while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin traveled to the lunar surface to become the first humans to walk on the moon, died on Wednesday at age 90, his family said.
A statement released by his family said Collins died of cancer.
Often described as the forgotten third astronaut on the historic mission, Collins remained alone in the command module for more than 21 hours until his two fellow astronauts returned in the lunar module. He lost contact with mission control in Houston each time the spacecraft circled the dark side of the moon.
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Derek Richardson
Michael Collins during a crew photo for the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Credit: NASA
Former NASA Gemini and Apollo astronaut Michael Collins died April 28, 2021, after battling cancer, according to his family. He was 90 years old.
In a statement from his family, they said Collins 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,” the statement continues. “We will miss him terribly. Yet we also know how lucky Mike felt to have lived the life he did. We will honor his wish for us to celebrate, not mourn, that life. Please join us in fondly and joyfully remembering his sharp wit, his quiet sense of purpose, and his wise perspective, gained both from looking back at Earth from the vantage of space and gazing across calm waters from the deck of his fishing boat.”
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Image: NASA
Pilot, astronaut and author Michael Collins passed away on Wednesday at the age of 90. Chosen as one of fourteen members of NASA’s third astronaut group in 1963, Collins first went to space as pilot of the 1966 Gemini 10 mission. He also flew the Apollo 11 mission, piloting the command module while crew members Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took the lunar module to the Moon’s surface. Over the course of his life, Collins, who spent a total of 266 hours in space, was awarded the Presidential Medal for Freedom, Robert J. Collier Trophy, Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy and Harmon International Trophy.
The three crew members of NASAs Apollo 11 lunar landing mission pose for a group portrait a few weeks before the launch. From left to right, Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Buzz Aldrin.
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He was the pilot in the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.
Collins remained in the spacecraft as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the surface of the moon.
American astronaut Michael Collins, who as pilot of the Apollo 11 command module stayed behind on July 20, 1969, while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin traveled to the lunar surface to become the first humans to walk on the moon, died on Wednesday at age 90, his family said.
American astronaut Michael Collins of Apollo 11 dies aged 90
(Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images) (NASA via Getty Images)
American astronaut Michael Collins, who stayed behind in the command module of Apollo 11 on July 20, 1969, while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin traveled to the lunar surface to become the first humans to walk on the moon, died on Wednesday at age 90, his family said.
A statement released by his family said Collins died of cancer.
Often described as the “forgotten” third astronaut on the historic mission, Collins remained alone for more than 21 hours until his two colleagues returned in the lunar module. He lost contact with mission control in Houston each time the spacecraft circled the dark side of the moon.