In the photo, the three astronauts of “Apollo 11“ look like a single unit. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins stand side by side before the historic flight. A few days later, two of them landed on the moon, while the third remained in orbit and became the only person not present in the famous shot with all of humanity.
Michael Collins was born on October 31, 1930 in Rome, where at that time his father was serving as a major general in the US Army. He graduated from “West Point“ in 1952, became an Air Force pilot and worked as a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base. In 1963, he was selected for NASA's third astronaut class.
The Flight That Left Him Out of the Moon Photo
Before “Apollo 11“ Collins flew on “Gemini 10“ in 1966. During the mission, he performed two spacewalks. His experience as a pilot and test pilot later proved crucial for his role in the most famous flight to the Moon.
“Apollo 11“ was launched on July 16, 1969. Collins commanded the command module "Columbia" while Armstrong and Aldrin descended in the lunar module "Eagle". On July 20, US time, Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface, with Aldrin following him. Collins remained in orbit, and the mission spent 59.5 hours around the Moon and completed 30 orbits.
As the command module passed behind the far side of the Moon, Collins lost radio contact with Earth and his two colleagues. He was the only person at that moment who could not see either the Earth or the two astronauts on the surface. It was this experience that gave rise to the description "the loneliest man in history", spread by the media.
However, Collins himself did not accept this interpretation. In a response published by CBS News, based on materials from the Associated Press, he said: “Far from feeling lonely or abandoned, I feel very much a part of what is happening on the lunar surface.“
The Third Man of “Apollo 11“
Collins took one of the most powerful photographs of the mission. It shows the Earth, the lunar module and its two satellites in one frame. The only person missing is the photographer himself. This makes the photo a kind of portrait of his role: he is part of the historical event, but remains outside his most popular image.
After returning to Earth, Collins left NASA in 1970. He worked as the US Assistant Secretary of State for Public Information, and in 1971 he took over the management of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Under his leadership, the museum in Washington prepared for its opening in 1976.
He described his experiences in the book “Carrying the Fire: The Journeys of an Astronaut“, published in 1974. He later wrote about the history of the American space program, as well as about future flights to Mars.
Michael Collins died on April 28, 2021, at the age of 90. "The Forgotten Astronaut" remains a name often mentioned after Armstrong and Aldrin, but his task was no less necessary: to guard the ship, maintain the possibility of return, and ensure the rendezvous of the three men after the first human landing on the Moon.
Sources: history.com, cbsnews.com, time.com