Teh One Who Knocks
04-28-2021, 04:44 PM
Erica Young, News Producer - Click 2 Houston
https://i.imgur.com/jKQVph5.png
HOUSTON – Astronaut Michael Collins, one-third of the Apollo 11 moon-landing crew, died Wednesday. He was 90.
As Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took mankind’s first steps on the moon, Collins, the command module pilot, orbited miles above them.
Before he was a space traveler, Collins was a world traveler.
He was born in Rome, Italy, where his father -- a career Army officer -- was stationed. The Army sent their family all over the globe.
Collins followed in his father’s footsteps to West Point and then into the armed services. However, instead of the Army, his love of flying led him to the Air Force.
As an astronaut, he flew to space twice -- first as part of the Gemini 10 mission and then on Apollo 11.
Armstrong and Aldrin may have received the glory for that mission to the moon, but Collins stood out at NASA.
“Mike Collins was probably the brightest of the three ... well-read, had a hell of an education, everything like that,” said Frank Hughes, a simulator instructor during the Apollo era.
Life after the moon landing brought decades of accolades for the Apollo 11 crew.
Collins wrote a few books and made appearances. Interviews were rare for the famous space pioneer.
Collins was sometimes called the “forgotten astronaut” of that mission to the moon, but he was at peace with his role in history.
“I wished I could have walked on the moon, undeniably, I felt that way at the time,” Collins said during an NBC News interview in June 2019. “But I can say with the utmost honesty, I was thrilled to have the place that I had.”
https://i.imgur.com/jKQVph5.png
HOUSTON – Astronaut Michael Collins, one-third of the Apollo 11 moon-landing crew, died Wednesday. He was 90.
As Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took mankind’s first steps on the moon, Collins, the command module pilot, orbited miles above them.
Before he was a space traveler, Collins was a world traveler.
He was born in Rome, Italy, where his father -- a career Army officer -- was stationed. The Army sent their family all over the globe.
Collins followed in his father’s footsteps to West Point and then into the armed services. However, instead of the Army, his love of flying led him to the Air Force.
As an astronaut, he flew to space twice -- first as part of the Gemini 10 mission and then on Apollo 11.
Armstrong and Aldrin may have received the glory for that mission to the moon, but Collins stood out at NASA.
“Mike Collins was probably the brightest of the three ... well-read, had a hell of an education, everything like that,” said Frank Hughes, a simulator instructor during the Apollo era.
Life after the moon landing brought decades of accolades for the Apollo 11 crew.
Collins wrote a few books and made appearances. Interviews were rare for the famous space pioneer.
Collins was sometimes called the “forgotten astronaut” of that mission to the moon, but he was at peace with his role in history.
“I wished I could have walked on the moon, undeniably, I felt that way at the time,” Collins said during an NBC News interview in June 2019. “But I can say with the utmost honesty, I was thrilled to have the place that I had.”