The Loneliest Astronaut
While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men on the Moon, they had a colleague waiting patiently for them in Lunar orbit. The Saturn V rocket carried a Lunar Module and a Command Module rather than one single spacecraft to the moon and back. The Lunar Module would descend to the surface, before returning to the command module which would take all three astronauts back to the Earth. Assigned to the position of Command Module Pilot on Apollo 11, Michael Collins would stay off of the Moon, and for the most part, out of the public view of the first Moon landing. Though he has stated that he at no point felt lonely, for 28 hours and 30 minutes, he was completely and truly alone.
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From Rome to West Point
Collins' father was a U.S. army diplomat, who travelled from country to country and brought his family with him. In 1930, while his father was stationed in Rome, Italy, Michael Collins was born, and they continued to move every few years while he grew up. Like many of his family members he joined the military, attending the U.S. Army Academy at West point, and graduating with a degree in military science. He joined the newly formed United States Air Force, training to become a fighter pilot, and subsequently a test pilot. After gaining thousands of flying hours as well as experience and knowledge in the field of aerospace, he applied for NASAs second group of astronauts. He was not chosen for this group, but the following year he applied for the third astronaut group, and was accepted.
A Brief History of the Space Program
In 1957, the USSR launched mankind's first satellite, Sputnik 1, prompting the USA to create NASA a year later. It's first project, Project Mercury, aimed to send an American to space before Russia. NASA selected 7 test pilots from various military branches to become the first astronaut group, known as the Mercury Seven. Project Mercury succeeded in sending one man at a time into space, and later into orbit, however it did so after the Soviet Union had already done the same. In 1962 President JFK directed NASA to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth, thus creating the Space Race. With a massive influx of funding and enormous public support, NASA planned to send more men around the Earth with Project Gemini, before sending them to the moon with the Apollo Program. With these goals they needed more astronauts, and Michael Collins would be one of them.
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Gemini Man
The Gemini Program built off the Mercury Program by sending a two-man capsule into orbit for multiple days at a time. It was meant as an interim between Mercury and Apollo, but still had some groundbreaking achievements, such as orbital rendezvous and Extra Vehicular Activities (spacewalks). Most of the astronauts who would later fly to the Moon would first fly on a Gemini mission, and this included Collins, Aldrin, and Armstrong. As a newly christened astronaut, Collins specialized in pressure suits and EVAs, and would be assigned to Gemini 10 along with John Young, who would go on to land on the Moon, as well as pilot the first Space Shuttle. On July 18, 1966, Gemini 10 took off for a 3-day, science filled mission, including 2 EVAs by Collins. Collins became the 17th American to go to space and the 4th human to perform a spacewalk.
The Gemini 10 capsule would dock with an Agena Target Vehicle, a separately launched uncrewed rocket, which they used to achieve an altitude of 475 miles above the Earth, a record at the time. They conducted more experiments, Collins became the first person to complete two spacewalks in one mission, and on July 21, they returned safely to Earth. Though 3 days sounds like a long time to spend in such a small area, another mission had spent 14 days in a capsule of the same design. Shortly after his return, Collins began training for a new adventure, the Apollo Program.
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From the Earth to the Moon
The Apollo Program represents a peak in NASA's funding, as well as arguably a peak in human technological development. The program had a very poor start however, with all 3 crewmembers of Apollo 1 dying in a capsule fire while on the launch pad. The greatest failure of the space program at the time, it set Apollo back immensely, but led to a greater emphasis on safety by NASA. Apollo 2 through Apollo 6 were unmanned flights, testing various aspects of the Saturn V rocket, which would eventually take men to the Moon. Collins was assigned to Apollo 11, but it was not yet known that this would be the first Moon landing mission. While Collins spent years training along with Armstrong and Aldrin, the Apollo Program soared higher than anyone could imagine. Apollo 7 took a Command Module into Earth orbit. Apollo 8 took a command module into orbit around the Moon, marking the first time humans had ever orbited another celestial body. Apollo 9 brought the Command Module and the Lunar Module around the Earth, and Apollo 10 took these modules around the Moon, in a 'dress rehearsal' for the first Moon landing. At this point it was decided that Apollo 11 would land the first people on the Moon, and there had been no mission with more pressure on the crew.
While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were tasked with landing the Lunar Module, it was Michael Collins' job to get them there. The Saturn V used all of the fuel in its first two stages and half of the fuel in its third stage just to get into orbit. They then used that stage to get on the way to the Moon, docked the Command and Lunar Modules together, and used the Command Module engine to achieve Lunar orbit. All of the inputs made to perform these actions were done by Collins. Then, after bidding farewell to the Lunar Module, he spent most of his time reading, sleeping, and enjoying his alone time.
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After making history with millions watching, the Lunar Module returned to the Command Module. The LM was jettisoned and the three astronauts headed back towards Earth. Eight days had passed since launch when they reentered Earth's atmosphere and splashed down in the pacific ocean shortly thereafter. The effects of going to the Moon were unknown, and so the three astronauts spent 21 days in quarantine from all but a few necessary personnel. After this period, they would go on a month long world tour, travelling to over 20 countries and meeting some of the most important people alive. Collins noted that everyone celebrated how humans had made it to the Moon, not just Americans.
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Carrying the Fire
Collins was offered a seat as Commander on Apollo 17, meaning a trip to the Lunar surface, but declined. The stresses of being an astronaut had taken a toll on his family, and he wanted to go back to a more usual life. Like the other two Apollo 11 astronauts, he would not return to space. He worked as the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, then as Director of the National Air and Space Museum, and later as the Undersecretary of the Smithsonian Institution. He published his autobiography, Carrying the Fire, in 1974, which is commonly regarded as the best memoir written by an astronaut. He wrote three other non-fiction books about his life and space travel, and retired in 1982. In his retirement he was still very active in the space community, a big advocate for a mission to Mars. In April 2021, he passed away due to cancer at the age of 90. For the almost 50 years after the last Moon landing he never got to see humans on the Moon again.