It’s one giant loss for mankind.
Michael Collins — the “forgotten astronaut” aboard the first spaceflight ever to land humans on the moon — died Wednesday …
It’s one giant loss for mankind. Michael Collins — the “forgotten astronaut” aboard the first spaceflight ever to land humans on the moon — died Wednesday after a battle with cancer, his family announced. He was 90. Collins, who flew on Apollo 11’s three-man crew with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, succumbed to the disease “peacefully” surrounded by loved ones, his relatives said in a statement. “We regret to share that our beloved father and grandfather passed away today,” it reads. “Mike always faced the challenges of life with grace and humility, and faced this, his final challenge in the same way.… We will miss him terribly.” During the historic 1969 space mission, Collins piloted the lunar command module as it circled above the moon. But, unlike Armstrong and Aldrin, he never actually set foot on the space rock. After the landing, Armstrong and Aldrin became media darlings and household names while Collins was much less-known, and was eventually dubbed the “the forgotten astronaut,” according to NPR.
