Page 5 - Aerotech News and Review, December 18, 2020

COLLINS, from 4
and legendary pilot Charles Lindberg knew what handshakes and good wishes, and being the one the onset of claustrophobia and paranoia. But true for sure. But on the flipside, with the mission’s
he faced, as Michael became the loneliest single left alone so far from home. Yes, Neil and Buzz to his incredible character and dedication, he kept success Collins became the missing astronaut,
human being, the first to be this far from human- were very brave explorers but Michael was also on task so he could be there to give his shipmates as his two famous crewmates became the face of
ity with no contact in the emptiness of space. a very brave explorer, with a much different task the ride home they were so hoping for, sparing the mission that we celebrate. When people are
If that wasn’t enough, for the next 22 hours to perform and a very different form of pressure. him the unpleasant task of piloting home a very asked about famous space explorers, of course
Michael flew the command module under the On the back side of the Moon, in a crew com- bleak spacecraft and a reception from a nation in Neil and Buzz are usually listed as one and two,
pressure of wondering if he would ever see Neil partment not much bigger than a mid-size car mourning. but Michael is somewhere outside the top ten on
and Buzz again, and if that lonely trip home that interior and the vastness of the universe outside Columbia swept behind the Moon and Collins most lists. Asked about this, Michael, being the
he’d trained for would become a reality. Imagine his windows, he went about his tasks in condi- became Earth’s most distant solo traveler, separat- very humble man he is, says that really doesn’t
the talk in that tunnel as the hatch was closed after tions that would have the majority of us fearing ed from the rest of humanity by 250,000 miles of bother him. When asked about those lonely hours
space and by the bulk of the Moon, which blocked around the Moon he just replies, “Looking back
all radio transmissions to and from Mission Con- now, deep down inside I was a very happy man.”
trol. He was out of sight and out of contact with Michael Collins, space explorer, had many
his home planet. hours training and serving here in our Antelope
“I am now truly alone and absolutely alone Valley at Edwards, and also as an Air Force pilot
from any known life. I am it.” — he wrote in his at George AFB in Victorville. He is one of the
capsule. very few Apollo astronauts who are still around
As the hours unfolded, there were a couple of to share this amazing history on the 50th anniver-
incidents that did have the possibility of bringing sary of the Apollo 11 mission. We honor Neil,
an end to the mission but in the end, the “daisy
chain” of events that Michael spoke of became a Buzz and Michael for bringing a special pride to
reality. The moment came when two very tired our home here in America and hope and pray that
someday our missions to far off planets will once
space explorers reunited with a very relieved
spacecraft pilot and started the journey home, to again inspire future generations to reach for the
a world that would now wake up to the reality of stars.
living in a time where mankind had walked on a By the way, after the mission and a passage
faraway heavenly body. of time, an envelope arrived at Michael’s home.
Richard Nixon, then U.S. president, had pre- Inside was a penned letter from none other than
pared a speech that he would deliver in the event Charles Lindberg that noted the unique aspect of
of the Eagle’s engine failing. isolation the two men shared, which I referred to
“Fate has ordained that the men who went to the in this story.
Moon to explore in peace will stay on the Moon “Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here
to rest in peace,” it ran. “These brave men, Neil alone” was the chorus line from the Elton John
Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is song, and forever more I will always think of Mi-
no hope for their recovery. But they also know chael Collins doing just that.
that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.” Until next time, Bob out! And thank God for
If the Apollo 11 mission had been a failure, some our brave astronauts who inspire us every day.
Courtesy photograph
Astronaut Michael Collins, with his daughters Ann and Kate in front of his famous spacecraft at the say the entire program may have been shelved
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. and Michael Collins would have been the face of Editor’s note: This story was first published
the mission for all time — an unwanted legacy, July 19, 2019.

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