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Astronaut Michael Collins, a member of the Apollo 11 mission who landed on the moon, has died at the age of 90.
As Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted humanity’s first bootprints on the moon, Collins stayed behind to pilot the command module, circling about 60 miles above the lunar surface. As such, Collins himself never walked on the moon, although his accomplishments with Armstrong and Aldrin contributed to what remains one of the most famous space missions in history.
Collins’ death was announced by family members.
“We regret to share that our beloved father and grandfather passed away today after a valiant battle with cancer” Collins’ family said in a statement on Twitter. “He spent his last days peacefully, with his family by his side. Mike has always taken on life’s challenge with grace and humility, and faced that challenge, his last challenge, in the same way. He will be sadly missed. Yet we also know – how lucky Mike felt to have lived the life he did. “
Collins was known for his calm and unpretentious nature, and in recent years he had become an active voice on social media, where he shared “his insightful perspective gained both from looking at Earth from a space perspective. and looking at the calm waters from the deck. from his fishing boat, ”his family said in the statement.
NASA paid tribute to Collins, highlighting his distinguished career and his work inspiring generations of explorers.
“Today the nation has lost a true pioneer and longtime exploration advocate in astronaut Michael Collins,” Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said in a statement. “Whether his work was done behind the scenes or in full view, his legacy will always be one of the leaders who took America’s first steps into the cosmos. And his spirit will accompany us as we venture to farther horizons.
Collins was born in Italy in 1930. After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Collins served as a fighter pilot and experimental test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base in California from 1958 to 1963 .
Collins was selected by NASA to become an astronaut in 1963. His first flight was a three-day mission aboard the Gemini 10, which was launched on July 18, 1966. The expedition performed a docking test and a double rendezvous in orbit, and during the flight, Collins became the third person in US history to perform a spacewalk.
Apollo 11 was Collins’ second space flight. In his 1974 bestselling memoir, “Bearing the Fire: An Astronaut’s Journey,” Collins reflected on his lonely time orbiting the moon – an experience that has prompted some to call him “the man on the moon.” loneliest in history ”.
“I am alone now, truly alone and absolutely isolated from all known life,” Collins wrote. “I am. If we counted, the score would be three billion plus two on the other side of the moon, and one plus God knows what on that side.”
Collins retired from NASA in 1970. After leaving the space agency, he was director of the National Air and Space Museum and undersecretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
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