Editing Michael Collins (astronaut) (section)

====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}}