I briefly met Neil Armstrong and have crossed paths with Buzz Aldrin on several occasions, but I don’t recall ever meeting Michael Collins. He was that third crew member of Apollo 11 everyone seems to forget. The one who remained in the command module 53 years ago today while his crewmates pulled away in the lunar lander for their historic walk on the moon. Yet, as an astronaut spouse, Collins is the Apollo hero who speaks to me the most. The one who was left behind. The one who would have had to pull himself together if the shit hit the fan, then go it alone.
Collins during training for the Gemini X mission in 1966.
Credits: NASA