Michael Collins is the command module pilot of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon. He is commonly referred to as the “third man” of the most memorable Moon landing crew ever, alongside Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
Even though he’s always outshined by Armstrong and Aldrin for being able to walk on the Moon’s surface, Collins didn’t mind what people and the press had to say because he knows that his role and what he did was just as important, maybe even more than the other two.
It is time to give credit where credit is due. Without Collins, Apollo 11 might have failed. Now is your chance to appreciate and learn more about the life, experiences, and woes of Michael Collins, Apollo 11’s third man.
Pre-Apollo
The Road Less Taken
Collins was born on October 31, 1930, in Rome, Italy. He grew up in a family with a lot of military members; his brother, father, cousin, and two uncles were all in the Army. He graduated from the United States Academy at West Point in 1952 with a bachelor’s degree in military science.
Wanting to avoid any allegations of nepotism and his curiosity for the future of aeronautics, Collins naturally gravitated to the US Air Force. He has had training on the T-6 and F-86 Sabre jets which led him to be assigned to South Korea during the Korean war. By some twist of fate, his orders were canceled since the armistice was signed, signifying the end of the war.
Gemini Program
He became an astronaut in 1965, and Collins’ first assignment as part of the crew is to be the backup pilot for Gemini VII. With a crew rotation system in place, Collins got insurance that he would be the pilot for Gemini X as well. The following year, he became a part of the prime crew for Gemini X with John Young as the mission commander. They had a lot of objectives including experimenting on ultraviolet photography and docking practice. While in space, Collins completed two spacewalks and became the first person to do that in the same mission.
Astronauts vs Cosmonauts?
In 1967, Collins found himself in the Paris Air Show. During this time, the Cold War was still in full swing and it was rare for Americans and Russians to mingle with each other. Coincidentally, there were two cosmonauts at that event as well, Pavel Belyayev and Konstantin Feoktistov.
A crowd formed around the three and began bothering them with questions and demands. As fast as electricity, all three of them bolted into the vehicle that transported the Russians. There, they bonded through vodka and their commonalities.
By The End of The Decade
..3..2..1..Ignition!
Collins recounts the day of the launch as odd. There was always a lot of activity on the day of a launch, especially the time before getting in the spacecraft. However, that wasn’t the case on July 16, 1969. Everything was quiet and nobody was around, just the three of them and another guy who was helping them. I imagine, in that kind of silence, you could probably hear someone pass gas from 50 feet away.
The launch of the command module, Columbia, with the lunar module was a success. Everything that they trained for and expected had happened, and the three astronauts were heading on a straight path to the Moon.
Rendezvous Woes
When they arrived on the Moon’s orbit and the landing was underway, Collins didn’t feel any worry. He knew that they all had undergone training and simulations, and had complete trust in Armstrong and Aldrin to stick the landing. A bit of anxiety crept in due to the radio delay but once he was told they landed safely, he was as stable as marble flooring.
Collins’ main concern was the rendezvous back. The moon-walkers only had one chance to properly get back near his orbit and proceed with docking. If one thing goes awry, both his colleagues would be drifting in space or staying on the Moon. When the ascent happened, he waited with bated breath. Collins breathed two sighs of relief: after they got into a good orbit and after the docking was successful. The last obstacle they had to face was the trip back home and we don’t need an astronomy degree to know what happened next.
Life After NASA
Collins retired after the Apollo 11 mission. He became an Air Force major general, the assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, the National Air and Space Museum Director, and the Smithsonian Institution’s Undersecretary.
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