'Forgotten Astronaut' Michael Collins Dies

29 Apr 2021 09:27 #1 by ScienceChic
RIP and fly high among the stars Astronaut Collins.

'Forgotten Astronaut' Michael Collins Dies
Russell Lewis | April 28, 2021

When Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon and uttered the famous phrase, "Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed," Collins was in orbit, 60 miles above, just as busy, and just as excited, telling the team back in Houston he was listening to communications with his comrades, and it was "fantastic."

As he orbited, half the time he could talk to controllers but when he was on the back side of the moon, he was completely cut off. It was because of this part of the mission that some dubbed him the loneliest man in humanity. As he recalled in a 2016 NPR interview, he didn't think of it that way. He said, "The fact that I was ... out of communications, rather than that being a fear, that was a joy because I got Mission Control to shut up for a little while. Every once in a while.


I have no idea if this is true, but it made me laugh out loud when I read it.

From For the Greater Glory of Science Facebook Page

"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther

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29 Apr 2021 11:43 #2 by homeagain
THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN the most hilarious "hot mic" moment.....great sense of humor, if true.

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03 May 2021 21:44 #3 by Wayne Harrison
To me, the most interesting thing he said about that lunar mission was that he had prepared himself mentally to leave lunar orbit and return to Earth without Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, should their Lunar Ascent Module not make it back to the Command Module he was in.

It was a privilege for me to cover that and other historic Apollo missions from the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, as a 20-year-old radio reporter.

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