Editing Michael Collins (astronaut) (section)

==Space program==
Compared with the first two groups of astronauts, the [[NASA Astronaut Group 3|third group of fourteen astronauts]], which included Collins, was younger, with an average age of 31—the first two groups had an average age of 34.5 and 32.5 at their time of selection—and was better educated, with an average of 5.6 years of tertiary education; but they had fewer flying hours—2,300 on average compared with 3,500 and 2,800 for the first two groups, and only eight of the fourteen were test pilots. Of the thirty astronauts selected in the first three groups, only Collins and his third group colleague [[William Anders]] were born outside the United States,{{sfn|Collins|2001|p=45}}{{sfn|Burgess|2013|p=293}} and Collins was the only one with an older brother; all the rest were the eldest or only sons in their families.{{sfn|Sherrod|1975|p=152}} Training began with a 240-hour course on the basics of spaceflight. Fifty-eight hours of this was devoted to geology, something Collins did not readily understand and in which he never became very interested.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=72–73}} At the end, [[Alan Shepard]], the [[Chief of the Astronaut Office]], asked the fourteen to rank their fellow astronauts in the order they would want to fly with them in space. Collins picked [[David Scott]] in the number one position.{{sfn|Collins|2001|p=77}}

===Project Gemini===
====Crew assignments====
After this basic training, the third group was assigned specializations. Collins received his first choice: pressure suits and [[extravehicular activity|extravehicular activities]] (EVAs, also known as spacewalks).{{sfn|Collins|2001|p=110}} His job was to monitor development and act as a liaison between the Astronaut Office and contractors.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=113–115}} He was disturbed by the secretive planning of Ed White's EVA on [[Gemini 4]], because he was not involved despite being the person with the greatest knowledge of the subject.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=139–140}}

[[File:Gemini 10 prime crew (Young and Collins).jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=see caption|Collins (right) with [[John Young (astronaut)|John Young]] (left) and a model of their [[Gemini spacecraft]] and [[Titan II]] booster]]

In late June 1965, Collins received his first crew assignment: the backup pilot for [[Gemini 7]],{{sfn|Reichl|2016|p=91}} with his [[West Point]] classmate Ed White named as the backup mission commander. Collins was the first of the fourteen to receive a crew assignment,{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=141–142}} but the first to fly was Scott on [[Gemini 8]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spacecoastdaily.com/2017/02/nasa-gemini-viii-first-docking-turns-to-wild-ride-in-orbit-quickly-became-in-flight-emergency/|title=NASA Gemini VIII First Docking Turns To Wild Ride in Orbit, Quickly Became In-Flight Emergency|publisher=Space Coast Daily|date=February 17, 2017|access-date=April 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417192131/http://spacecoastdaily.com/2017/02/nasa-gemini-viii-first-docking-turns-to-wild-ride-in-orbit-quickly-became-in-flight-emergency/|archive-date=April 17, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> and  [[Charles Bassett]] was assigned to [[Gemini 9]].{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=166–167}} Under the system of crew rotation established by Slayton, being on the backup crew of Gemini{{nbsp}}7 set Collins up to pilot [[Gemini 10]].{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=142–143}} Gemini{{nbsp}}7 was commanded by Borman, whom Collins knew well from their days at Edwards, with [[Jim Lovell]] as the pilot. Collins made a point of providing a daily briefing to their wives, Susan Borman and Marilyn Lovell, on the progress of the two-week Gemini{{nbsp}}7 mission.{{sfn|Collins|2001|p=163}}

After the successful completion of Gemini{{nbsp}}7 on January 24, 1966, Collins was assigned to the prime crew of Gemini 10, but with [[John Young (astronaut)|John Young]] as mission commander, as White moved on to the [[Apollo program]].{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=166–167}}{{sfn|Reichl|2016|p=123}} Jim Lovell and [[Buzz Aldrin]] were designated as the backup commander and pilot respectively.{{sfn|Collins|2001|p=174}} The arrangements were disturbed on February 28 by the deaths of the Gemini{{nbsp}}9 crew,  [[Charles Bassett]] and [[Elliot See]], in the [[1966 NASA T-38 crash]]. They were replaced on Gemini{{nbsp}}9 by their backups, Stafford and [[Gene Cernan]]. Cernan was the second of the fourteen to fly in space. Lovell and Aldrin became their backups, and [[Alan Bean]] and [[Clifton Williams|C.C. Williams]] took their place as the Gemini 10 backup crew.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=176–177}} Collins would be the seventeenth American, and third member of his group, to fly in space.{{sfn|Collins|2001|p=251}}

Training for Gemini 10 was interrupted in March when Slayton diverted Young, Collins and Williams to represent their respective services on a panel to select [[NASA Astronaut Group 5|another group of astronauts]], along with himself, Shepard, spacecraft designer [[Max Faget]], and astronaut training officer [[Warren J. North]]. Young protested the loss of a week's training to no avail. Applying strict criteria for age, flying experience and education reduced the number of applicants to 35. The panel interviewed each for an hour, and rated nineteen as qualified. Collins was surprised when Slayton elected to take them all. Slayton later admitted that he too had doubts; he already had enough astronauts for [[Project Apollo]] as far as the first Moon landing, but post-Apollo plans were for up to 30 missions. Such a large intake therefore seemed prudent. Ten of the nineteen had test pilot experience, and seven were graduates of the ARPS.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=177–181}}{{sfn|Shayler|Burgess|2017|pp=18–19}}{{sfn|Slayton|Cassutt|1994|pp=171–173}}

====Gemini 10====
{{Main|Gemini 10}}
[[File:S66-42777.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Young and Collins helmetless in spacesuits|[[John Young (astronaut)|John Young]] (left) and Michael Collins aboard the recovery ship]]
Fifteen scientific experiments were carried on [[Gemini 10]]—more than any other Gemini mission except the two-week-long Gemini 7.{{sfn|Collins|2001|p=173}} After Gemini 9's EVA ran into problems, the remaining Gemini objectives had to be completed on the last three flights. While the overall number of objectives increased, the difficulty of Collins' EVA was scaled significantly back. There was no backpack or astronaut maneuvering unit (AMU), as there had been on Gemini 8.{{sfn|Reichl|2016|p=123}}

Their three-day mission called for them to rendezvous with two [[Agena Target Vehicle]]s, undertake two EVAs, and perform 15 different experiments. The training went smoothly, as the crew learned the intricacies of [[orbital rendezvous]], controlling the Agena and, for Collins, the EVA. For what was to be the fourth ever EVA, underwater training was not performed, mostly because Collins did not have the time. To train to use the nitrogen gun he would use for propulsion, a smooth metal surface about the size of a boxing ring was set up. He would stand on a circular pad that used gas jets to raise itself off the surface. Using the nitrogen gun he would practice propelling himself across the "slippery table".{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=177–198}}

Gemini 10 lifted off from [[Launch Complex 19]] at [[Cape Canaveral]] at 17:20 local time on July 18, 1966. Upon reaching orbit, it was about {{convert|1600|km|nmi|sp=us|order=flip}} behind the Agena target vehicle, which had been launched 100 minutes earlier. A rendezvous was achieved on Gemini 10's fourth orbit at 10:43, followed by docking at 11:13.<ref name="Gemini 10">{{cite web |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1966-066A |title=Gemini 10|website=NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive |access-date=December 20, 2018}}</ref>{{sfn|Hacker|Grimwood|2010|pp=341–344]}} The mission plan called for multiple dockings with the Agena target, but an error by Collins in using the [[sextant]] caused them to burn valuable propellant, resulting in Mission Control calling off this objective to conserve propellant.{{sfn|Reichl|2016|p=125}} Once docked, the Agena 10 propulsion system was activated to boost the astronauts to a new altitude record, {{convert|764|km|sp=us|order=flip}} above the Earth, breaking the previous record of {{convert|295|mi}} set by [[Voskhod 2]].{{sfn|Reichl|2016|p=126}}

[[File:S66-46122.jpg|thumb|left|[[Agena Target Vehicle|Agena Target Docking Vehicle]] photographed near the [[Gemini 10]] spacecraft|alt=Rocket floating above Earth]]
A second burn of the Agena 10 engine at 03:58 on July 19 put them into the same orbit as Agena{{nbsp}}8, which had been launched for the Gemini{{nbsp}}8 mission on March 16. For his first EVA Collins did not leave the Gemini capsule, but stood up through the hatch with an ultraviolet camera.<ref name="Gemini 10" /> After he took the ultraviolet photos, Collins took photos of a plate they brought with them. They were used to compare photos taken in space with those taken in a laboratory.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=219–222}} In his biography he said he felt at that moment like a [[Roman mythology|Roman god]] riding the skies in his chariot.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=221, 475}}

The EVA started on the dark side of the Earth so Collins could take photos of the [[Milky Way]]. Collins' and Young's eyes began to water, forcing an early end to the EVA.{{sfn|Reichl|2016|p=127}} [[Lithium hydroxide]], which was normally used to remove exhaled [[carbon dioxide]] from the cabin, had accidentally been fed into the astronauts' space suits. The compressor causing the problem was switched off,{{sfn|Slayton|Cassutt|1994|p=178}} and a high oxygen flow was used to purge the environmental control system.<ref name="Gemini 10" />

Prior to Collins' second EVA, the Agena 10 spacecraft was jettisoned. Young positioned the capsule close enough to Agena{{nbsp}}8 for Collins to get to it while attached to his {{convert|49|ft|adj=on}} umbilical.{{sfn|Reichl|2016|pp=127–129}} Collins became the [[List of spacewalkers|first person to perform two spacewalks]] in the same mission.{{sfn|Evans|2010|p=151}}{{sfn|Shayler|2004|loc=Appendix 1}} He found it took much longer to complete tasks than he expected, something Cernan also experienced during his spacewalk on Gemini 9. He removed a [[micrometeorite]] experiment from the exterior of the spacecraft, and configured his nitrogen maneuvering thruster. Collins had difficulty reentering the spacecraft, and needed Young to pull him back in with the umbilical.{{sfn|Reichl|2016|pp=127–129}}

The duo activated the [[retrorocket]]s on their 43rd orbit, and they splashed down in the Atlantic at 16:06 on July 21, {{convert|3.5|nmi|km}} from the recovery vessel, the [[Amphibious transport dock|amphibious assault ship]] {{USS|Guadalcanal|LPH-7|6}}, and were picked up by helicopter.{{sfn|Reichl|2016|pp=127–129}} Collins and Young completed nearly all the major objectives of the flight.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19134550/palladiumitem/|title=Astronauts splash down safely; mission proves much yet to be learned in space|newspaper=Palladium-Item|location=Richmond, Indiana|page=11|date=July 22, 1966|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=April 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412001230/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19134550/palladiumitem/|archive-date=April 12, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The docking practice and the landmark measurement experiment were cancelled in order to conserve propellant, and the micrometeorite collector was lost when it drifted out of the spacecraft.<ref name="Gemini 10" />
{{-}}

===Apollo program===
[[File:Apollo 503 Crew.jpg|thumb|Collins (center) with [[William Anders]] (left) and [[Frank Borman]] (right)]]
Shortly after Gemini 10, Collins was assigned to the backup crew for the second crewed Apollo flight, with Borman as [[Commander (Apollo program)|commander]] (CDR), Stafford as [[command module pilot]] (CMP), and Collins as [[lunar module pilot]] (LMP). Along with learning the new [[Apollo command and service module]] (CSM) and the [[Apollo Lunar Module]] (LM), Collins received helicopter training, as these were thought to be the best way to simulate the landing approach of the LM. After the completion of [[Project Gemini]], it was decided to cancel the Apollo{{nbsp}}2 flight, since it would just repeat the [[Apollo 1]] flight. Stafford was given his own crew, and Anders was assigned to Borman's crew. Slayton had decided an Apollo mission commander should be an experienced astronaut who had already flown a mission, and that on flights with a LM, the CMP should also have some spaceflight experience, something Anders did not yet have, since the CMP would have to fly the CM alone. Collins was therefore moved to the CMP position on the Apollo{{nbsp}}9 prime crew, and Anders became the LMP.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=267–268}} The practice became that the CMP would be the next most senior member of the crew, and that they would go on to command later Apollo flights.{{sfn|Shayler|Burgess|2017|p=274}}

Staff meetings were always held on Fridays in the Astronaut Office, and it was here that Collins found himself on January 27, 1967. Don Gregory was running the meeting in the absence of Shepard and so it was he who answered the red phone to be informed there had been a fire in the Apollo 1 CM, and that the three astronauts, [[Gus Grissom]], [[Ed White (astronaut)|Ed White]] and [[Roger Chaffee]] were dead. When the enormity of the situation was ascertained, it fell on Collins to go to the Chaffee household to inform Martha Chaffee that her husband had died. The Astronaut Office had learned to be proactive in informing astronauts' families of a death quickly, because of the death of [[Theodore Freeman]] in an aircraft crash in 1964, when a newspaper reporter was the first to his house.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=269–274}}

Collins and Scott were sent by NASA to the [[Paris Air Show]] in May 1967. There they met [[cosmonaut]]s [[Pavel Belyayev]] and [[Konstantin Feoktistov]], with whom they drank vodka on the Soviets' [[Tupolev Tu-134]]. Collins found it interesting that some cosmonauts were doing helicopter training like their American counterparts, and Belyayev said he hoped to make a [[Circumlunar trajectory|circumlunar]] flight soon. The astronauts' wives had accompanied them on the trip, and Collins and his wife Pat were compelled by NASA and their friends to travel to [[Metz]], where they had been married ten years before. There, they found a third wedding ceremony had been arranged for them (ten years previously they had already had civil and religious ceremonies), so they could renew their vows.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=278–282}}

During 1968, Collins noticed his legs were not working as they should, first during [[American handball|handball]] games, then as he walked down stairs. His knee would almost give way, and his left leg had unusual sensations when in hot and cold water. Reluctantly he sought medical advice and the diagnosis was a cervical [[Spinal disc herniation|disc herniation]], requiring two [[human vertebra|vertebrae]] to be [[spinal fusion|fused]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/moon-landing-anniversary-who-michael-collins-forgotten-astronaut-1457037|title=Moon Landing 45th Anniversary: Who Is Michael Collins The Forgotten Astronaut?|newspaper=International Business Times|last1=Skipper|first1=Ben|date=July 20, 2014|access-date=April 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427184047/https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/moon-landing-anniversary-who-michael-collins-forgotten-astronaut-1457037|archive-date=April 27, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The surgery was performed at [[Wilford Hall Hospital]] at [[Lackland Air Force Base]], Texas. The planned recuperation time was three to six months.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19134615/abilene_reporternews/|title=Astronaut Gets Out of Hospital|newspaper=Abilene Reporter-News|location=Abilene, Texas|date=July 31, 1968|page=46|via=Newspapers.com|agency=Associated Press|access-date=April 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180411174840/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19134615/abilene_reporternews/|archive-date=April 11, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Collins spent three months in a neck brace. As a result, he was removed from the prime crew of [[Apollo 9]] and his backup, Jim Lovell, replaced him as CMP. When the [[Apollo 8]] mission was changed from a CSM/LM mission in high [[Geocentric orbit|Earth orbit]] to a CSM-only flight around the Moon, both prime and backup crews for Apollo{{nbsp}}8 and{{nbsp}}9 swapped places.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=288–294}}

====Apollo 8====
{{Main|Apollo 8}}
Having trained for the flight, Collins was made a [[capsule communicator]] (CAPCOM), an astronaut stationed at [[Mission Control Center (NASA)|Mission Control]] responsible for communicating directly with the crew during a mission.{{sfn|Ertel|Newkirk|Brooks|1978|p=408}} As part of the Green Team, he covered the launch phase up to [[translunar injection]], the rocket burn that sent Apollo{{nbsp}}8 to the Moon.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://history.nasa.gov/afj/ap08fj/03day1_green_sep.html|title=Day 1: The Green Team and Separation|publisher=NASA|work=Apollo Flight Journal|access-date=April 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225233926/https://history.nasa.gov/afj/ap08fj/03day1_green_sep.html|archive-date=December 25, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The successful completion of the first crewed circumlunar flight was followed by the announcement of the Apollo 11 crew of Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins. At that time, in January 1969, it was uncertain this would be the lunar landing mission; this depended on the success of Apollo{{nbsp}}9 and [[Apollo 10]] testing the LM.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=312–314}}

====Apollo 11====
{{Main|Apollo 11}}
[[File:Apollo 11.jpg|thumb|The crew of [[Apollo 11]]: from left to right, [[Neil Armstrong]], Michael Collins and [[Buzz Aldrin]].|left]]
As CMP, Collins' training was completely different from the LM and lunar EVA, and was sometimes done without Armstrong or Aldrin being present. Along with simulators, there were measurements for pressure suits, centrifuge training to simulate the reentry, and practicing docking with a huge rig at [[Langley Research Center|NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia]]. Since he would be the active participant in the rendezvous with the LM, Collins compiled a book{{sfn|Collins|2001|p=339}} of 18 different rendezvous schemes for various scenarios including ones where the LM did not land, or it launched too early or too late. This book ran for 117 pages.{{sfn|Collins|2001|p=339}}

The [[:Image:Apollo 11 insignia.png|mission patch of Apollo 11]] was the creation of Collins. Jim Lovell, the backup commander, mentioned the idea of eagles, a symbol of the United States. Collins liked the idea and found a painting by artist [[Walter A. Weber]] in a [[National Geographic Society]] book, ''Water, Prey, and Game Birds of North America'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/the-making-of-the-apollo-11-mission-patch|title=The Making of the Apollo 11 Mission Patch|date=July 14, 2016|access-date=February 28, 2018|publisher=NASA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419184951/https://www.nasa.gov/feature/the-making-of-the-apollo-11-mission-patch/|archive-date=April 19, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> traced it and added the lunar surface below and Earth in the background. The idea of an olive branch, a symbol of peace, came from a computer expert at the simulators. The call sign ''[[Command Module Columbia|Columbia]]'' for the CSM came from [[Julian Scheer]], the NASA Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs. He mentioned the idea to Collins in a conversation and Collins could not think of anything better.{{sfn|Hansen|2005|pp=325–332}}{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=332–334}}

During the training for Apollo 11, Slayton offered to get Collins back into the crew sequence after the flight. Collins would most likely have been the backup commander of [[Apollo 14]], followed by commander of [[Apollo 17]], but he told Slayton he did not want to travel to space again if Apollo 11 was successful. The difficult schedule of an astronaut strained his family life. He wanted to help achieve John F. Kennedy's goal of landing on the Moon within the decade and had no interest in further exploration of the Moon once the goal was achieved. The assignment was given to Cernan.{{sfn|Shayler|Burgess|2017|p=274}}{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=342–343}}{{sfn|Slayton|Cassutt|1994|pp=237–238}}

[[File:Michael Collins in an Apollo command module simulator.jpg|thumb|Collins in the command module simulator]]An estimated one million spectators watched the launch of Apollo 11 from the highways and beaches in the vicinity of the launch site. The launch was televised live in 33 countries, with an estimated 25&nbsp;million viewers in the United States alone. Millions more listened to radio broadcasts.{{sfn|Bilstein|1980|pp=369–370}}{{sfn|Benson|Faherty|1978|p=474}} Propelled by a giant [[Saturn V]] rocket, Apollo 11 lifted off from [[Launch Complex 39]]A at the [[Kennedy Space Center]] on July 16, 1969, at 13:32 [[UTC]] (09:32 [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo11.html|title=Apollo 11 Mission Overview|publisher=NASA|date=December 21, 2017|last1=Loff|first1=Sarah|access-date=January 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209204039/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo11.html|archive-date=February 9, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> and entered Earth orbit twelve minutes later. After one and a half orbits, the [[S-IVB]] third-stage engine pushed the spacecraft onto its trajectory toward the Moon. About 30 minutes later, Collins performed the [[transposition, docking, and extraction]] maneuver. This involved separating ''Columbia'' from the spent S-IVB stage, turning around, and docking with the [[Lunar Module Eagle|Lunar Module ''Eagle'']]. After it was extracted, the combined spacecraft headed for the Moon, while the rocket stage flew on a trajectory past it.{{sfn|Orloff|2000|pp=102–110}}

On July 19 at 17:21:50 UTC, Apollo 11 passed behind the Moon and fired its service propulsion engine to enter [[lunar orbit]].{{sfn|Orloff|2000|pp=102–110}} In the thirty orbits that followed,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo-11/apollo-11.html |title=Apollo-11 (27) |work=Historical Archive for Manned Missions |publisher=NASA |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526034609/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo-11/apollo-11.html |archive-date=May 26, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> the crew saw passing views of their landing site in the southern [[Sea of Tranquillity]] about {{convert|12|mi|km}} southwest of the crater [[Collins (crater)|Sabine D]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/A11_PressKit.pdf |title=Apollo 11 Lunar Landing Mission |date=July 6, 1969 |publisher=NASA |location=Washington, D.C. |type=Press kit |id=Release No: 69-83K |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130811082927/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/A11_PressKit.pdf |archive-date=August 11, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> At 12:52:00 UTC on July 20, Aldrin and Armstrong entered ''Eagle'' and began the final preparations for lunar descent. At 17:44:00 ''Eagle'' separated from ''Columbia''.{{sfn|Orloff|2000|pp=102–110}} Collins, alone aboard ''Columbia'', inspected ''Eagle'' as it rotated before him to ensure the craft was not damaged and that the landing gear had correctly deployed before heading for the surface.{{sfn|Manned Spacecraft Center|1969|p=9}}{{sfn|Collins|Aldrin|1975|p=209}}

{{Multiple image
| image1            = Earth, Moon and Lunar Module, AS11-44-6643 c.jpg
| direction         = horizontal
| image2            = Apollo 11 CSM photographed from Lunar Module (AS11-37-5445).jpg
| total_width       = 500
| caption2          = [[Command Module Columbia|''Columbia'']] in lunar orbit and piloted by Collins alone, photographed from [[Lunar Module Eagle|''Eagle'']]
| align             = left
| caption1          = Photograph of [[Lunar Module Eagle|''Eagle'']] and [[Earth]] by Collins
}}

During his day flying solo around the Moon, Collins never felt lonely. Although Mission Control speculated in that day's [[Logbook|log]] that "not since [[Adam]] has any human known such solitude",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo11/july21.htm |title=July 24 Mission Logs |publisher=NASA |date=July 21, 1969 |access-date=April 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008101835/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo11/july21.htm |archive-date=October 8, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Collins felt very much a part of the mission. In his autobiography he wrote "this venture has been structured for three men, and I consider my third to be as necessary as either of the other two". In the 48 minutes of each orbit when he was out of radio contact with the Earth while ''Columbia'' passed round the far side of the Moon, the feeling he reported was not fear or loneliness, but rather "awareness, anticipation, satisfaction, confidence, almost exultation".{{sfn|Collins|2001|p=402}}

One of Collins' first tasks was to identify the lunar module on the ground. To give Collins an idea where to look, Mission Control radioed that they believed the lunar module landed about four miles off target. Each time he passed over the suspected landing site, he tried in vain to find the lunar module. On his first two orbits on the far side of the Moon, Collins performed maintenance activities such as dumping excess water produced by the [[fuel cell]]s and preparing the cabin for Armstrong and Aldrin to return.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=401–407}} ''Columbia'' orbited the Moon thirty times.{{sfn|Orloff|2000|p=98}}

Just before he reached the far side on the third orbit, Mission Control informed Collins there was a problem with the temperature of the coolant. If it became too cold, parts of ''Columbia'' might freeze. Mission Control advised him to assume manual control and implement Environmental Control System Malfunction Procedure 17. Instead, Collins flicked the switch on the offending system from automatic to manual and back to automatic again, and carried on with normal housekeeping chores, while keeping an eye on the temperature. When ''Columbia'' came back around to the near side of the Moon again, he was able to report that the problem had been resolved. For the next couple of orbits, he described his time on the far side of the Moon as "relaxing". After Aldrin and Armstrong completed their EVA, Collins slept so he could be rested for the rendezvous. While the flight plan called for ''Eagle'' to meet up with ''Columbia'', Collins was prepared for certain contingencies in which he would fly ''Columbia'' down to meet ''Eagle''.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=406–408, 410}} After spending so much time with the CSM, he felt compelled to leave his mark on it, so during the second night following their return from the Moon, he went to the lower equipment bay of the CM and wrote:
:"Spacecraft 107 – alias Apollo 11 – alias ''Columbia''. The best ship to come down the line. God Bless Her. Michael Collins, CMP"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/3903hjpg|title=Michael Collins' Inscription inside Apollo 11 Command Module "Columbia"|date=June 9, 2016 |publisher=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum|access-date=April 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428011624/https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/3903hjpg|archive-date=April 28, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Michael Collins hatch Columbia.jpg|alt=see caption|thumb|Collins sits in the hatch of the Apollo 11 command module after its return to the MSC's [[Lunar Receiving Laboratory]] for detailed examination]]
In a July 2009 interview with ''[[The Guardian]]'', Collins said that he was very worried about Armstrong and Aldrin's safety. He was also concerned in the event of their deaths on the Moon, he would be forced to return to Earth alone and, as the mission's sole survivor, be regarded as "a marked man for life".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/jul/19/michael-collins-astronaut-apollo11 | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=How Michael Collins became the forgotten astronaut of Apollo 11 | first=Robin | last=McKie | date=July 19, 2009 | access-date=May 12, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906235218/http://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/jul/19/michael-collins-astronaut-apollo11 | archive-date=September 6, 2013 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all}}</ref>

At 17:54 UTC on July 21, ''Eagle'' lifted off from the Moon to rejoin Collins aboard ''Columbia'' in lunar orbit.{{sfn|Orloff|2000|pp=102–110}} After rendezvous with ''Columbia'', the ascent stage was jettisoned into lunar orbit, and ''Columbia'' made its way back to Earth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo_tables.html |title=Apollo Tables |last=Williams |first=David R. |publisher=NASA |access-date=September 23, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061001125211/http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo_tables.html |archive-date=October 1, 2006}}</ref>

''Columbia'' splashed down in the Pacific {{convert|2660|km|nmi|abbr=on|order=flip}} east of [[Wake Island]] at 16:50 UTC (05:50 local time) on July 24.{{sfn|Orloff|2000|pp=102–110}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/afj/ap11fj/26day9-reentry.html |work=Apollo 11 Flight Journal |title=Day 9: Re-entry and Splashdown |publisher=NASA |editor-first1=W. David |editor-last1=Woods |editor-first2=Kenneth D. |editor-last2=MacTaggart |editor-first3=Frank |editor-last3=O'Brien |access-date=September 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225234020/https://history.nasa.gov/afj/ap11fj/26day9-reentry.html |archive-date=December 25, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> The total mission duration was eight days, three hours, 18 minutes, and thirty-five seconds.{{sfn|Orloff|2000|p=98}} Divers passed biological isolation garments (BIGs) to the astronauts, and assisted them into the life raft. Though the chance of bringing back [[pathogen]]s from the lunar surface was believed to be remote, it was still considered a possibility. The astronauts were winched on board the recovery helicopter, and flown to the aircraft carrier {{USS|Hornet|CV-12|6}},{{sfn| Manned Spacecraft Center|1969|pp=164–167}} where they spent the first part of the Earth-based portion of 21 days of quarantine (time in space was also counted), before moving on to Houston.{{sfn|Carmichael|2010|pp=199–200}}

On August 13, the three astronauts rode in parades in their honor in New York and Chicago, with about six million attendees.<ref name="LADinner">{{cite web |title=Richard Nixon: Remarks at a Dinner in Los Angeles Honoring the Apollo 11 Astronauts |url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=2202 |website=The American Presidency Project |access-date=October 24, 2017 |date=August 13, 1969 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902011826/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=2202 |archive-date=September 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27531303/the_evening_sun/|title=President Offers Toast to 'Three Brave Men'|newspaper=The Evening Sun|date=August 14, 1969|page=1|location=Baltimore, Maryland|via=Newspapers.com|agency=Associated Press|access-date=March 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419103143/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27531303/the_evening_sun/|archive-date=April 19, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> On the same evening in Los Angeles there was an official [[state dinner]] to celebrate the flight, attended by members of Congress, 44 governors, the [[Chief Justice of the United States]], and ambassadors from 83 nations at the [[Century Plaza Hotel]].<ref name="LADinner" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27531557/the_honolulu_advertiser/|title=Astronauts Awed by the Acclaim|newspaper=The Honolulu Advertiser|location=Honolulu, Hawaii|page=1|date=August 14, 1969|last1=Smith|first1=Merriman|agency=UPI|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419103552/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27531557/the_honolulu_advertiser/|archive-date=April 19, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In September, the astronauts embarked on a 38-day world tour that brought them to 22 foreign countries and included visits with world leaders.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27494178/the_logan_daily_news/|title=Apollo 11 Crew Starts World Tour|agency=Associated Press|date=September 29, 1969|page=1|location=Logan, Ohio|newspaper=Logan Daily News|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327161210/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27494178/the_logan_daily_news/|archive-date=March 27, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27529119/the_los_angeles_times/|title=Japan's Sato Gives Medals to Apollo Crew|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=November 5, 1969|page=20|location=Los Angeles, California|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327161140/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27529119/the_los_angeles_times/|archive-date=March 27, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>