'The Forgotten Man' - Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins dies aged 90

His grandfather, Jeremiah Bernard Collins, emigrated from Dunmanway in Co Cork in the early 1860s to Cincinnati, Ohio in the US.

Wed, 28 Apr, 2021 - 17:47

Greg Murphy

Astronaut Michael Collins, who was part of the Apollo 11 crew which first landed on the moon, has died at the age of 90.

Collins' family confirmed the news on Wednesday in a statement on Twitter, saying he passed "after a valiant battle with cancer."

"He spent his final days resting peacefully, with family by his side," the statement said.

"Mike always faced the challenges of life with grace and humility, and faced this, his final challenge, in the same way."

Family Statement on Passing of Astronaut Michael Collins pic.twitter.com/6OAw7CzFaz
— Michael Collins (@AstroMCollins) April 28, 2021

His grandfather, Jeremiah Bernard Collins, emigrated from Dunmanway in Co Cork in the early 1860s to Cincinnati, Ohio in the US.

Collins was part of the three-member crew on Apollo 11, the first lunar landing mission in 1969, alongside Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

He served as command module pilot often called "the loneliest man in history" or "the Forgotten Man" as Armstrong and Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon.

“I guess you’re about the only person around that doesn’t have TV coverage of the scene,” Mission Control radioed Mr Collins after the landing.

“That’s all right. I don’t mind a bit,” he responded.

Mr Collins was alone for nearly 28 hours before Mr Armstrong and Mr Aldrin finished their tasks on the moon’s surface and lifted off in the lunar lander.

Mr Collins was responsible for re-docking the two spacecraft before the men could begin heading back to Earth.

Had something gone wrong and Mr Aldrin and Mr Armstrong been stuck on the moon’s surface — a real fear — Mr Collins would have returned to Earth alone.

“I know that I would be a liar or a fool if I said that I have the best of the three Apollo 11 seats, but I can say with truth and equanimity that I am perfectly satisfied with the one I have,” he wrote in his 1974 autobiography, Carrying The Fire.

“This venture has been structured for three men, and I consider my third to be as necessary as either of the other two.”

Astronaut Michael Collins, right, speaks to Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana at Launch Complex 39A, about the moments leading up to launch at 9:32 a.m. on July 16, 1969, and what it was like to be the first to land on the moon on the Apollo 11 mission. Picture: Frank Michaux/NASA via AP

In a statement, Nasa said that the US has "lost a true pioneer and lifelong advocate for exploration."

The space agency said: “NASA mourns the loss of this accomplished pilot and astronaut, a friend of all who seek to push the envelope of human potential.

"Whether his work was behind the scenes or on full view, his legacy will always be as one of the leaders who took America's first steps into the cosmos.

"And his spirit will go with us as we venture toward farther horizons.”

Former Nasa astronaut, Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin paid tribute to his Apollo 11 crewmate saying: "Dear Mike, Wherever you have been or will be, you will always have the Fire to Carry us deftly to new heights and to the future.

"We will miss you. May you Rest In Peace."

Dear Mike,
Wherever you have been or will be, you will always have the Fire to Carry us deftly to new heights and to the future. We will miss you. May you Rest In Peace. #Apollo11 pic.twitter.com/q4sJjFdvf8
— Dr. Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) April 28, 2021