He lived the greatest human isolation in space.. The story of Michael Collins, the forgotten astronaut
“What I remember most about that trip is what the Earth looked like when I saw it from a distance, so small and shiny, blue and white, bright and beautiful, calm and fragile.”
This is how astronaut Michael Collins saw him during the moments when he was in the spacecraft alone in the vicinity of the moon, while his two colleagues, “Neil Armstrong” and Buzz Aldrin, got off to take the first human steps on the surface of the moon in the summer of 1969.
He is Michael Collins, the astronaut who accompanied Armstrong on the famous Apollo mission, which saw the first human landing on the moon.
Mike Collins and his associates
And in the moments when "Armstrong" was taking his glorious steps over the surface of the moon, "Collins" was alone in the spacecraft circling the moon, and some writings say that the moments of isolation he lived at the time, especially when he was crossing the dark side of the moon, is the greatest moment Isolation experienced by a person throughout history since Adam, peace be upon him, as he was alone in a spaceship isolated and far from Earth.
This man finally passed away, which stirred some consciences that considered that he had not received his share of recognition and honor, and that he had become a symbol of that person who works in the shadows and whose name remains forgotten.
“I am completely satisfied with the role I played.” A forgotten man’s message
Michael Collins, the author of this experiment full of scientific indications and human feelings, passed away on April 28, 2021, at the age of ninety, leaving a collective conscience prick that afflicted all followers of space science over the past decades, to call him “the forgotten” for what happened to him. It is a historical injustice compared to his two colleagues who disembarked from the spacecraft to explore the surface of the moon, while he remained inside it.
“Dear Mike, wherever you are or are going to, you will always have the energy to brilliantly carry us to new heights. we will miss you. I hope you rest in peace.” This is how Buzz Aldrin, the third of the three astronauts who completed the Apollo 11 mission, mourned his friend Collins in a tweet on Twitter, and Aldrin is the only surviving one.
Despite his vital and decisive role in the arrival of his two other colleagues and their safe return, Collins acknowledges his marginal seat that he got out of the experience of the first human arrival on the surface of the moon, as he says: I know that I would be a liar or a fool if I said that I was the owner of the best three Apollo 11 seats, But I can say with sincerity and poise that I am completely satisfied with the role I have played.
“Reminds our nation of the importance of cooperation in achieving goals.” The role of the shadow
48 minutes, the longest period that Collins spent in the middle of complete darkness that he crossed whenever his vehicle moved to the other side of the moon, where he did not see or hear anything, all his communications were cut off, while the sunlight disappeared on the other side of the moon.
Suddenly.. the wing of the spacecraft began to clear for him thanks to the sun's rays, just as the earth was shining for him when he reached a location that allowed him to see the reflection of the sun's rays on its surface, so he immortalized the scene in a wonderful way, while the moon appeared to him gray and rough while he was circling it closely, and when The spacecraft regained contact with NASA, and Collins quickly told it, "The Eagle has landed."
After securing communication between his two colleagues who were then on the surface of the moon and the Earth, Collins listened to President Nixon's call as he congratulated the two astronauts who were enjoying their historic step over the surface of the moon. In a eulogy for Michael Collins, current US President Joe Biden says: Collins may not have had the same glory as his two colleagues, but he is their equal partner, and he reminds our nation of the importance of cooperation in achieving great goals.
A picture taken by Michael Collins of the moments of the landing of the Eagle spacecraft on the surface of the moon
Source: websites