Flag flown on the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. (Credit: Heritage Auctions)
Highlights include flags, medallions and more from 1969’s historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission
DALLAS, Texas (Heritage Auctions PR) – In July 1969, 65 miles above the lunar surface, command module pilot Michael Collins orbited the moon alone, at times even losing contact with Mission Control. Meanwhile, below him, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were making headlines the world over for becoming the first men to walk on the moon – or, in Armstrong’s famous words, taking “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Apollo 1 astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. (Credit: NASA)
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Frank Borman only flew to space twice, but both flights were major milestones in the history of human spaceflight. In 1965, he and Jim Lovell flew for nearly 14 days aboard Gemini 7, proving that humans could function for long periods of time in the absence of gravity. Borman, Lovell and Bill Anders orbited the moon on Christmas Eve 1968 aboard Apollo 8 on the first human mission beyond low Earth orbit, an essential step toward the landing of Apollo 11 eight months later.
There was lesser known, but no less vital, mission that Borman undertook that was every bit as essential to the success of Project Apollo. The anniversary of a key event in that mission was earlier this month. Borman, who turned 94 last month, recounted the story in his autobiography, “Countdown.”
by Douglas Messier Managing Editor
On the last Friday in January 1967, Frank Borman took a break from a punishing schedule of traveling from Houston to Project Apollo contractors in Massachusetts and California to spend some quality time with his family. He took his wife, Susan, and their two sons to a cottage on a lake near Huntsville, Texas, owned by family friends. In the era cell phones, there were only landlines. Since the phone number at the cottage was unlisted, Borman was looking forward to two uninterrupted of relaxation.
Wally Funk standing with a U.S. Air Force jet. (Credit: Blue Origin via Smithsonian Magazine)
WASHINGTON, DC (National Air and Space Museum PR) — The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum awards its Michael Collins Trophy annually for Lifetime and Current Achievements. The 2022 recipients are Wally Funk for Lifetime Achievement and the Mars Ingenuity Helicopter Team for Current Achievement; they will receive their awards at a ceremony March 24 at the museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.
Video Caption: We are heartbroken to share that astronaut Michael Collins, the command module pilot of the historic Apollo 11 mission to the Moon, has passed away at the age of 90. Collins was one of the third group of astronauts named by NASA in October 1963. In 1966, he served as the pilot on the 3-day Gemini 10 mission, during which he set a world altitude record and became […]
Michael Collins orbited the moon in the command module Columbia during the historic Apollo 11 mission in July 1969. (Credits: NASA)
WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — Former NASA astronaut Michael Collins, who flew on the Gemini 10 and Apollo 11 missions, passed away on April 28, 2021.
“Today the nation lost a true pioneer and lifelong advocate for exploration in astronaut Michael Collins. As pilot of the Apollo 11 command module – some called him ‘the loneliest man in history’ – while his colleagues walked on the Moon for the first time, he helped our nation achieve a defining milestone. He also distinguished himself in the Gemini Program and as an Air Force pilot.
WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — The following is a statement from acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk on the passing of Michael Collins:
“Today the nation lost a true pioneer and lifelong advocate for exploration in astronaut Michael Collins. As pilot of the Apollo 11 command module – some called him ‘the loneliest man in history’ – while his colleagues walked on the Moon for the first time, he helped our nation achieve a defining milestone. He also distinguished himself in the Gemini Program and as an Air Force pilot.
“Michael remained a tireless promoter of space. ‘Exploration is not a choice, really, it’s an imperative,’ he said. Intensely thoughtful about his experience in orbit, he added, ‘What would be worth recording is what kind of civilization we Earthlings created and whether or not we ventured out into other parts of the galaxy.’
Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins have been nominated for an Emmy Award for work they during the first manned lunar landing 51 years ago. The two surviving crew members were nominated for outstanding cinematography for a nonfiction program relating to CNN’s Apollo 11 documentary. Commander Neil Armstrong has passed away. “I never thought our film during #Apollo11 would qualify me as a cinematographer – Thanks @TelevisionAcad for […]
WASHINGTON,DC (NAA PR) – The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) is pleased to announce that Major General Michael Collins has been selected as the recipient of the 2019 Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy for … “his lifelong dedication to aerospace and public service in the highest order, both as a pioneering astronaut and inspired director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.”
Established by NAA in 1948 to honor the memory of Orville and Wilbur Wright, the trophy is awarded annually to a living American for “…significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the United States.” One of the most important, historic, and visible aerospace awards in the world, the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy reflects a timeline of the most innovative inventors, explorers, industrialists, and public servants in aeronautics and astronautics.
UPDATED for the 50th Anniversary July 2019 2009 Michael Collins Interviews Michael Collins
Statement from Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins
The following is a series of questions and answers prepared by Michael Collins, command module pilot for Apollo 11.
These are questions I am most frequently asked plus a few others I have added. For more information, please consult my book, the 50th anniversary edition of CARRYING THE FIRE, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut’s Journeys. All of the following sections in quotation marks are from that reference.
Q. Circling the lonely moon by yourself, the loneliest person in the universe, weren’t you lonely?
Video Caption: U.S. President Donald Trump met with the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, as well as family of the late Neil Armstrong on Friday, July 19, 2019.
