.."that noisy argument suddenly silenced."
April 28, 2021 7:20 PM   Subscribe

 
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Giants shouldered him up and he landed himself on the actual bloody moon
posted by I'm always feeling, Blue at 7:40 PM on April 28, 2021


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posted by JoeXIII007 at 7:41 PM on April 28, 2021


“You hear a lot of stories of kids from our era never seeing their dads who were astronauts,” Collins daughter once told me, “we never felt that way. My dad was around when I was growing up.” A true hero: the man who chose his children over a walk on the moon.

posted by I'm always feeling, Blue at 7:43 PM on April 28, 2021 [6 favorites]



posted by tclark at 7:44 PM on April 28, 2021 [2 favorites]


"Giants shouldered him up and he landed on the actual bloody moon"

Michael Collins orbited the moon while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon.

"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."
posted by jonathanhughes at 7:46 PM on April 28, 2021 [24 favorites]


French newspaper La Croix called him "l’homme de l’ombre" - in French, a shadowy power behind the scenes but also literally true since he was the one who disappeared behind the moon.
In many ways the whole mission revolved around him when the other two were on their little jaunt.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 7:48 PM on April 28, 2021 [5 favorites]


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posted by They sucked his brains out! at 7:52 PM on April 28, 2021


Had a great sense of humour. In the recent Apollo 11 film, the ground crew has been asking him to re-adjust his malfunctioning medical sensors and he finally comes back with, “...I promise to let you know if I stop breathing”.

If you haven’t watched Apollo 11, please do. It's astounding.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:54 PM on April 28, 2021 [11 favorites]


Arthur C Clarke said Collins once told him he was tempted to report the prescence of a giant monolith on the lunar farside after he regained contact the first time. Sadly, he was too professional.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 7:59 PM on April 28, 2021 [20 favorites]



posted by Halloween Jack at 8:04 PM on April 28, 2021 [2 favorites]


An astounding man. Professional, gracious, humble, humorous, dedicated.

His memoirs are probably the best of any astronaut’s, even if some parts have become dated. But all through his life, and especially recently, he was fully engaged with the public, even as they asked him questions he’d been asked thousands of times before.

Plus, he was the father of Natalie from my soap, so there’s that, too.
posted by Capt. Renault at 8:10 PM on April 28, 2021 [2 favorites]


Can you imagine being someone who landed on the moon?

Can you imagine going to the moon and not landing, and then never going back?

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posted by Windopaene at 8:15 PM on April 28, 2021 [2 favorites]


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posted by Archer25 at 8:39 PM on April 28, 2021


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posted by gudrun at 8:52 PM on April 28, 2021


Always enjoyed this quote of his:

I am alone now, truly alone, and absolutely isolated from any known life. I am it. If a count were taken, the score would be three billion plus two over on the other side of the moon, and one plus God knows what on this side.

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posted by rhamphorhynchus at 8:53 PM on April 28, 2021 [15 favorites]


Had a great sense of humour. In the recent Apollo 11 film, the ground crew has been asking him to re-adjust his malfunctioning medical sensors and he finally comes back with, “...I promise to let you know if I stop breathing”.
Oddly enough though, from Wikipedia's Apollo 11 (2019)
The film takes some liberties with the timeline of the mission. For example, the incident involving Michael Collins’s biomed sensors going out, leading him to wisecrack, "I promise to let you know if I stop breathing," occurred during the return voyage, on day 8 of the mission, but is depicted as happening during the approach to the Moon before the separation of the command module Columbia and Lunar Module Eagle.
Pulling a move like that in an otherwise historically accurate movie made from contemporary footage is, well, weird.

That said, having no TV at the time, I sat out in the backyard behind my basement apartment listening to the radio and staring at the pale moon in the afternoon sky beside a kitten with the zoomies. Instead of seeing the one small step, I had a serious WTF? moment upon hearing it.

And now all three of those men are dead.
posted by y2karl at 9:00 PM on April 28, 2021 [3 favorites]


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posted by BlueHorse at 9:01 PM on April 28, 2021


And now all three of those men are dead.

Aldrin's still around
posted by Freelance Demiurge at 9:06 PM on April 28, 2021 [13 favorites]


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

-Dr. Buzz Aldrin, @TheRealBuzz on Twitter (via Thread reader), with a nice photo
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:09 PM on April 28, 2021 [15 favorites]


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posted by Numenius at 9:12 PM on April 28, 2021


I will always think of the picture whose frame contains every human, living or dead, except Michael Collins.
posted by ckape at 9:19 PM on April 28, 2021 [39 favorites]


Can you imagine going to the moon and not landing, and then never going back?

Were I in his position in 1970, I don't think I could've retired before getting a Lunar Module spot. It takes an exceptional person to achieve what he achieved, and among the exceptional it takes an exceedingly rare person to be in line for a walk on the Moon and just... switch jobs, because you have other priorities.
posted by tclark at 9:25 PM on April 28, 2021 [3 favorites]


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posted by BlackLeotardFront at 9:29 PM on April 28, 2021


I was six when they reached La Bella Luna...

At the time, he was my favorite of the three. Just in the pictures he seemed so different. He looked nicer, quieter, friendlier, gentler, lighter. Approachable. He'd be someone fun to play with. Aldrin and Armstrong I would probably run away from.

A friend of mine did the Beatles game to me once, asking "Which of the Beatles are you most like" At first, I thought "John" and then realized that everyone wants to be John. After slowing down a bit and thinking it over, I realized it was George. Quieter. The better musician of the four. Spiritually tuned. The outlier of the group.

If I was asked the same question of these three, it would be Mike. On this journey, he was the outlier, the one responsible for the bridge of safe connection between two realities. He got to spend time alone after being in community in space. I can't imagine what his thoughts were, the dreams he may have had, the awe that he had to have felt. Maybe when he was offline, he had a moment to cry at the beautiful fragility of it all, clear his throat, and then go back to work.

To be alone in the midst of an event that had massive implications on many levels. In an environment in which ones body is so viscerally involved. To go to sleep alone. To wake up alone. In space. To think, wonder, feel, be in awe. Focused on the tasks at hand when needed. The incredible clarity that come with the experience of being close to death.

There is something very taoist about it. Alan Watts often describes tao as the words people read on a paper. Everyone sees the words, reads the words, and thinks the words are the only thing. But the word's can't be there if not for the paper itself. That you can't have something if you don't have nothing. In an odd way, Collins was the nothing to Armstrong's and Aldrin's something

He was a lovely man. I am glad that the harsh lights that shone on Aldrin and Armstrong did not shine so harshly on him

I am glad he was where he was and that he did what he did. And that he made a little boy happy...and happy to feel this unique affection.

Vaya con dios/dias!
posted by goalyeehah at 10:02 PM on April 28, 2021 [10 favorites]


🌑
posted by rjs at 10:09 PM on April 28, 2021 [2 favorites]


Aldrin's still around

D'oh! Well, live and don't learn.
posted by y2karl at 10:14 PM on April 28, 2021 [1 favorite]


Metafilter:their little jaunt.

I remember the moon landing and first steps by Armstrong. I also remember thinking that the guy (Mike Collins) who had to stay in the space ship by himself had the scariest job. Being alone in a little module on the other side of the moon in space was absolutely scary to little me who was afraid to have a sleepover at a friend's house.

As I got older and learned more about the three of them I was very impressed with them all, but always liked Collins the most.

The quote about being as comfortable in front of a kindergarten class as in front of engineers at MIT says it all for me.

Godspeed Mike Collins.

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posted by AugustWest at 10:26 PM on April 28, 2021 [3 favorites]


As mentioned upthread, I will always love the picture that contains every human being who had ever lived save for one Michael Collins.

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posted by ChrisR at 10:49 PM on April 28, 2021


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posted by bryon at 10:50 PM on April 28, 2021


It would have been still more im[possible for his confreres to realize that the day might come when American would hear their names and say, "Oh yes-now, which one was he?"

Final lines
Tom Wolfe
The Right Stuff
posted by Relay at 11:22 PM on April 28, 2021 [1 favorite]


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posted by interogative mood at 12:57 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by sammyo at 2:18 AM on April 29, 2021


When I was a kid in the 1970s, I thought of the Apollo 11 astronauts as the most famous people in the world: all three of them, because even then I knew that all three were essential to the success of their mission. There have been other significant men named Michael Collins, but every time I hear of them I think of him.
posted by rory at 2:40 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by filtergik at 2:59 AM on April 29, 2021



posted by Kattullus at 3:05 AM on April 29, 2021 [1 favorite]


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posted by inexorably_forward at 3:28 AM on April 29, 2021



posted by Gelatin at 5:04 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by JamesD at 5:09 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by nubs at 5:14 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by riruro at 5:22 AM on April 29, 2021


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John Craigie has a nice song about Collins. Come to think of it the intro is pretty good too.
posted by kaymac at 5:32 AM on April 29, 2021


Thanks for posting this clavdivs and for linking to an article that succinctly sums up how awesome Michael Collins the man was.

I've read his book, Carrying the Fire, and would highly recommend it to anyone. It's one of the best astronaut books written and Collins doesn't shy away about mentioning his fears and struggles amidst the various joys.

When it came to picking which astronauts would fly on Apollo missions and in which slot, Deke Slayton was THE MAN. He pretty much picked every crew and was rarely overruled by higher ups. Slayton also had a basic system for rotating his choices: get assigned to a backup crew, then 3 missions later, be put on the prime crew.

While Collins was training for Apollo 11, Slayton offered him the back up Commander slot on Apollo 14, which would have placed Collins as Commander of Apollo 17. The man had a pretty much guaranteed shot to walk on the Moon and he turned it down, 'cause family was more important. That says something and I have an enormous amount of respect for him because of that. Worth noting that he and his wife did not divorce and by all accounts were quite happy in their long mariage.

Collins was originally assigned to the Apollo 8 mission (the first to go around the Moon), but was pulled after some spinal problems were discovered. He underwent surgery, did some therapy, got put back on flight status and was then assigned to the other history making Apollo flight.

Here's a few good quotes about or by Collins from the Neil Amstrong biography, First Man:
  • From Collins' wife, Patricia Finnegan, about when they first met in France, where Mike was stationed:
    "He loved to eat and he understood French food and introduced me to a lot things I wouldn't have tried by myself. Some of the Americans were joining wine study clubs, but Mike didn't have to. He had learned a lot about wines from his father, and he had studied up on vineyards so he could tell wonderful stories about them. In fact he could talk about everything. He knew books; he knew poetry; he was interested in theater. He was bright about technical things, and he was lots and lots of fun. I couldn't get over all this combination in one man."
  • Collins, on himself:
    "I'm not always convinced that everything is going work out well. On the other hand, there's nothing wrong in acting as if things will work out. I mean, if I tell my wife I believe in the Easter Bunny-well, why not? Either he exists or he doesn't, I chose to believe. But if you really cornered me, I'd have to admit reluctantly that here is not Easter Bunny. Maybe."
  • Collins on the relationships with other Apollo 11 members:
    "A closer relationship, while certainly not necessary for the success or happy completion of a spaceflight, would seem more 'normal' to me. Even as a self acknowledged loner, I feel a bit freakish about our tendancy as a crew to transfer only essential information, rather than thoughts or feelings."
  • Neil Armstrong on why Collins was the Command Module Pilot on Apollo 11:
    "I felt uncomfortable with Mike being the lunar module pilot for Apollo 11, because the command module pilot was the number-two guy in a crew and lunar module pilot was number three. Because the CMP had such significant responsibilities for flying the command module solo and being able to do rendezvous by and mimself and so forth...Mike was the best to be in that position."
As much as I admire and respect his decision to retire after Apollo 11, part of me really wishes he had walked on the Moon on Apollo 17, because the guy was a fantastic writer. He seemed to be a good combination of left and right brained, technical but with bits of an artist view in him and his writings really convey the technical accomplishments along with the emotions about those accomplishments.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:40 AM on April 29, 2021 [8 favorites]


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posted by zekesonxx at 5:41 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by cmfletcher at 5:43 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by dlugoczaj at 6:53 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by Melismata at 6:59 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by LooseFilter at 7:00 AM on April 29, 2021


In a bit of serendipity, last night I had two free hours, so I built a Lego(knockoff) model of Saturn V for my two and a half year old to eventually destroy.
He always calls it "slow motion Saturn V", and I love it.
This morning he saw it in the shelf and did a happy little dance and when we brought it down he pointed to the command module and said "astronauts in HERE!", which I enjoyed.
Then I sat down and read about Michael Collins.

I've never been very interested in space, but in having to learn to keep up with a toddler's interests I am really very impressed by everything about space travel. Such amazing teamwork, ingenuity, and bravery!

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posted by Acari at 7:17 AM on April 29, 2021 [1 favorite]


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posted by LobsterMitten at 7:23 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by Splunge at 7:47 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by mixedmetaphors at 7:53 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by bouvin at 8:04 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by Quasirandom at 8:34 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by oozy rat in a sanitary zoo at 8:45 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by ZeusHumms at 8:47 AM on April 29, 2021


Notes: Armstrong and Aldrin should have stepped onto the lunar surface together. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay stepped onto the peak of Everest together. (Which one is most remembered?) Robert Peary (leader of the expedition), Matthew Henson (black), and four Inuit (Ootah, Seeglo, Egingwah, and Ooqueah) first set foot on the frozen-over North Pole together. (Henson was actually first of the first)

Collins, having stayed in the orbiting capsule, should have been placed first on the list for the moon in the next flight.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 9:47 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by May Kasahara at 10:13 AM on April 29, 2021


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posted by ewok_academy at 10:57 AM on April 29, 2021


I've known a couple guys named Mike Collins in my life, and when I've met them, I chirp "Oh! Like the astronaut!" and they've always been so happy about that. Usually if you share a name with someone famous, you're grumpy about it because you have to hear about it each time you're introduced, but apparently everyone's fine with people making the connection to this man. Godspeed to one of my childhood heroes.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 11:57 AM on April 29, 2021 [7 favorites]


Notes: Armstrong and Aldrin should have stepped onto the lunar surface together. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay stepped onto the peak of Everest together.

That was physically impossible for Armstrong and Aldrin, due to the weight restrictions of getting a habitable spacecraft on the Moon. Hell, the official reason given for Armstrong to be first was because the astronauts could not move past each other while in their bulky spacesuits within the cramped lunar module and Armstrong was close to the door.

Collins, having stayed in the orbiting capsule, should have been placed first on the list for the moon in the next flight.

That would have been great, but it was physically impossible for Collins to do. The next flight was Apollo 12, which was already in training with another crew and set to take land on the Moon in November (which they did).

Collins was absolutely offered Command of a later flight, but turned it down, due to astronaut training taking away so much time from his family.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:55 PM on April 29, 2021 [3 favorites]


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posted by suetanvil at 1:07 PM on April 29, 2021


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posted by introp at 1:20 PM on April 29, 2021


"I am alone now, truly alone, and absolutely isolated from any known life. I am it. If a count were taken, the score would be three billion plus two over on the other side of the moon, and one plus God knows what on this side."
Collins, in "Carrying the Fire"
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"What is the furthest one human being has ever been from every other living person?...You'd think astronauts would have a lock on this category, but it's not so cut-and-dry. There are a few other candidates who come pretty close!"
Randall Monroe, XKCD
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 1:43 PM on April 29, 2021


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posted by humbug at 6:49 AM on May 1, 2021


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