Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Monday 15 July 2019

Apollo 11’s ‘amiable strangers’ Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins

By MARCIA DUNN including the South Pole,
AP Aerospace Writer pushing for Mars travel.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Last year, two of his three
(AP) — Mission command- children sought to declare
er Neil Armstrong was the him mentally incompetent,
flying ace, Buzz Aldrin the then he sued them. Both
scholar. Michael Collins sides dropped the case in
was a crack test pilot, too, March.
but also a wordsmith who Aldrin moves between Sat-
described the trio as “ami- ellite Beach, Florida, and
able strangers.” Southern California.
Apollo 11’s astronauts had ___
six months to gel as a crew Michael Collins was “The
and prepare for human- Forgotten Man” during the
ity’s greatest space feat. Apollo 11 lunar landing:
The three had never served While the two others were
together on the same walking on the moon, he
spaceflight before, and the circled overhead in the
“almost frantic” prepara- command module.
tion left little if any time for For previous Apollo 11 an-
bonding, Collins said. niversaries, Collins was
“Apollo 11 was a little differ- content to be forgotten.
ent than some of the other - In this July 27, 1969 file photo, Apollo 11 crew members, from left, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and But with the “huge gap”
flights,” Collins explained. Michael Collins sit inside a quarantine van in Houston. left by Armstrong’s death,
“We didn’t cruise around Associated Press Collins, 88, feels compelled
in color-coordinated Cor- of Ohio. He finally agreed group in 1963: third in his the animated “Toy Story” to speak up even though
vettes or anything like that. to a biography: 2005’s “First class at West Point, fighter films. His mother’s name: “my first inclination for cel-
We were all business. We Man” by historian James pilot in Korea, Air Force of- Marion Moon. ebrating the 50th anniver-
were all hard work, and we Hansen, the basis for last ficer, a doctorate in astro- After Apollo 11, Aldrin spent sary ... is to go hide under
felt the weight of the world year’s film. nautics. He was dubbed Dr. years struggling with men- a rock somewhere.” His two
upon us.”A brief look at Armstrong died in 2012 at Rendezvous for his exper- tal depression and alcohol- daughters have helped him
each man: age 82. tise in orbital dockings. ism. He left NASA in 1971 navigate the avalanche of
Neil Armstrong was the first ___ He flew on Gemini 12 in and briefly headed the test requests.
man to walk on the moon Buzz Aldrin was the second 1966 and was on the back- pilot school at Edwards Air The Air Force officer and
but the least inclined to talk man to walk on the moon, up crew for Apollo 8. Then Force Base in California. former test pilot flew on
about it. but the first astronaut to came Apollo 11. Drawn toward the spotlight, Gemini 10 in 1966, three
Last year’s film, “First Man,” have a doctorate and He later legally changed Aldrin portrayed himself in a years after being accept-
captured his private nature; dance with the stars. his name from Edwin E. 1994 episode of the TV pro- ed into the third astronaut
his two sons served as mov- Aldrin, now 89, had a long Aldrin Jr. to his childhood gram “The Simpsons” and group. He was supposed
ie consultants. Such reti- list of accomplishments nickname Buzz. His name took a spin in 2010 on TV’s to be command module
cence merely reinforced by the time NASA chose was the inspiration for the “Dancing with the Stars.” pilot of Apollo 8, the first
the mystery surrounding the him for the third astronaut character Buzz Lightyear in He’s traveled the globe, manned flight to circle the
late astronaut, who by skill, moon, but was bumped
hard work and chance be- because of a bone spur in
came the first human to set his neck. Surgery correct-
foot on another world. ed the problem, and he
Armstrong was superbly wound up on Apollo 11.
qualified for the job: fighter Collins was astounded
pilot in Korea, X-15 test pi- when reporters later asked
lot, one of only two civilians him about being lonely as
selected for the second he circled the moon by
astronaut group in 1962, himself, especially on the
Gemini 8 command pilot, lunar far side, out of radio
backup commander of contact. “I felt like I was
Apollo 8 and, finally, com- Neil and Buzz’s meal ticket
mander of Apollo 11. home,” he said. “I was in no
He’d proven his mettle way, shape or form lonely.”
again and again. He had Collins left NASA six months
to gain control of his tum- after Apollo 11. He briefly
bling Gemini 8 spacecraft served as assistant sec-
in 1966 and bring it down retary of state for public
early, and he ejected from affairs and was founding
a lunar lander training de- director of the Smithson-
vice in 1968 just before it ian Institution’s National Air
crashed in flames in Hous- and Space Museum.
ton. In an updated preface to
Armstrong left NASA two his 1974 autobiography
years after Apollo 11 and “Carrying the Fire,” Col-
taught engineering at the lins said he enjoys fishing,
University of Cincinnati until In this July 16, 1969 file photo, from right, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin walk painting and reading near
1979. He spent his remain- to the van that will take the crew to the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida’s Everglades, and
ing years in his home state Florida. feels “lucky, lucky, lucky.”q
Associated Press