Michael Collins
Michael Collins was the astronaut who piloted the command module during the Apollo 11 mission and took iconic images, but never walked on the moon himself.
Astronaut
October 31, 1930
Scorpio
April 28, 2021
90
Rome, Italy
Michael Collins was an American astronaut and test pilot who played a crucial role in the historic Apollo 11 mission, the first manned lunar landing. As the command module pilot, Collins remained in orbit while his fellow astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, made the groundbreaking moon landing. During this time, he captured one of the mission’s most iconic images and earned the nickname ‘the loneliest man in history.’ In addition to his work as an astronaut, Collins served as a major general in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. He passed away on April 28, 2021, at the age of 90.