The Apollo 11 astronaut who stayed in orbit while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon has died age 90.
Michael Collins was called the “forgotten astronaut” because he piloted the orbiting command module while his crew-mates made the historic first moon landing in 1969.
A family statement said: “We regret to share that our beloved father and grandfather passed away today, after a valiant battle with cancer.
Collins said he didn’t feel lonely while he orbited the moon by himself. Pic: AP
“He spent his final days peacefully, with his family by his side. 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. Yet we also know how lucky Mike felt to have lived the life he did. We will honour his wish for us to celebrate, not mourn, that life.
The three astronauts smile during quarantine back on Earth on 24 July 1969. Pic: AP
“Please join us in fondly and joyfully remembering his sharp wit, his quiet sense of purpose, and his wise perspective, gained both from looking back at Earth from the vantage of space and gazing across calm waters from the deck of his fishing boat.”
Collins spent almost a day orbiting the moon while Aldrin and Armstrong were on its surface, but said he wasn’t lonely and felt like an important part of the mission.
He spent 48 minutes in each orbit on the “far side of the moon” and in that time lost communication with mission control.
Collins said he felt “awareness, anticipation, satisfaction, confidence, almost exultation”.
During orbit he mostly performed chores, as well as keep an eye out for the Eagle lunar module in preparation to meet it again.
After more than 21 hours on the moon, Armstrong and Aldrin lifted off and rejoined Collins on the Columbia command module.
Collins and Aldrin with President Trump in July 2019. Pic: AP
In July 2019, Collins and Aldrin met President Trump at the White House to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic mission.
The enormous achievement of Apollo 11 was repeated only six more times before NASA scrapped the programme and humans haven’t stepped foot on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.