Editing Michael Collins (astronaut)

{{Short description|American astronaut (1930–2021)}}
{{featured article}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{For|other people with the same name|Michael Collins (disambiguation){{!}}Michael Collins}}
{{Infobox astronaut
|name         = Michael Collins
|image        = Michael Collins (S69-31742, restoration).jpg
|caption      = Collins in 1969
|alt          = Portrait of Collins in his spacesuit
|birth_date   = {{birth date|1930|10|31}}
|birth_place  = [[Rome]], Italy
|death_date   = {{death date and age|2021|4|28|1930|10|31}}
|death_place  = [[Naples, Florida]], U.S.
|restingplace = [[Arlington National Cemetery]]
|education    = [[United States Military Academy]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])
|awards       = {{ubl|[[Air Force Distinguished Service Medal]]|[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]|[[Legion of Merit]]|[[Presidential Medal of Freedom]]|[[Congressional Gold Medal]]|[[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]|[[NASA Exceptional Service Medal]]}}
{{Infobox person
|embed        = yes
|spouse       = {{marriage|Patricia Finnegan|1957|2014|end=died}}
|children     = 3, including [[Kate Collins (actress)|Kate]]
|relatives    = {{ubl|[[James Lawton Collins]] (father)|[[James Lawton Collins Jr.]] (brother)|[[J. Lawton Collins]] (uncle)}}}}
|type         = [[NASA astronaut]]
|rank         = [[Major general (United States)|Major General]], [[United States Air Force|USAF]]
|time         = 11d 2h 4m
|selection    = [[NASA Astronaut Group 3|NASA Group 3 (1963)]]
|eva1         = 2
|eva2         = 1h 28m
|mission      = [[Gemini 10]]<br>[[Apollo 11]]
|insignia     = [[File:Gemini 10 Insignia.svg|54px|alt=Gemini 10 logo]] [[File:Apollo 11 insignia.png|50px|alt=Apollo 11 logo]]
|module       = {{Infobox officeholder
|embed        = yes
|office       = 12th [[Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs]]
|president    = [[Richard Nixon]]
|term_start   = January 6, 1970
|term_end     = April 11, 1971
|predecessor  = [[Dixon Donnelley]]
|successor    = [[Carol Laise]]}}
{{Infobox military person
|embed        = yes
|serviceyears = {{ubl|1952–1970 (active)|1970–1982 (reserve)}}}}
|signature    = Michael Collins Signature.svg
}}
'''Michael''' '''Collins''' (October 31, 1930 – April 28, 2021) was an Italian-born American [[astronaut]] who flew the [[Apollo 11]] [[Command module Columbia|command module ''Columbia'']] around the [[Moon]] in 1969 while his crewmates, [[Neil Armstrong]] and [[Buzz Aldrin]], made the first crewed landing on the [[Moon's surface|surface]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-23 |title=Michael Collins |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/explore/stories/michael-collins |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=airandspace.si.edu |language=en}}</ref> He was also a [[test pilot]] and [[Major general (United States)|major general]] in the [[United States Air Force Reserve|U.S. Air Force Reserve]].

Born in [[Rome]], Italy, where his father was serving as the U.S. [[military attaché]], Collins graduated in the Class of 1952 from the [[United States Military Academy]]. He followed his father, brother, uncle, and cousin into the military. He joined the [[United States Air Force]], and flew [[North American F-86 Sabre|F-86 Sabre]] fighters at [[Chambley-Bussières Air Base]], France. He was accepted into the [[U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School|U.S. Air Force Experimental Flight Test Pilot School]] at [[Edwards Air Force Base]] in 1960, also graduating from the [[Aerospace Research Pilot School]] (Class III).

Selected as part of [[NASA]]'s [[Astronaut Group 3|third group of 14 astronauts]] in 1963, Collins flew in space twice. His first spaceflight was on [[Gemini 10]] in 1966, in which he and Command Pilot [[John Young (astronaut)|John Young]] performed [[orbital rendezvous]] with two spacecraft and undertook two [[Extravehicular activity|extravehicular activities]] (EVAs, also known as spacewalks). On the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, he became one of [[List of Apollo astronauts|24 people to fly to the Moon]], which he orbited thirty times. He was [[List of spacewalkers|the fourth person]] (and third American) to perform a [[Extravehicular activity|spacewalk]], the first person to have performed more than one spacewalk, and, after Young, who flew the command module on [[Apollo 10]], the second person to orbit the Moon alone.

After retiring from NASA in 1970, Collins took a job in the [[United States Department of State|Department of State]] as [[Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs]]. A year later, he became the director of the [[National Air and Space Museum]], and held this position until 1978, when he stepped down to become undersecretary of the [[Smithsonian Institution]]. In 1980, he took a job as vice president of [[LTV Aerospace]]. He resigned in 1985 to start his own consulting firm. Along with his Apollo 11 crewmates, Collins was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] in 1969 and the [[Congressional Gold Medal]] in 2011.

==Early life==
[[File:Targa ricordo Michael Collins.jpg|thumb|left|upright|1969 commemorative plaque in via Tevere, Rome, marking Collins' birthplace]]
Michael Collins was born on October 31, 1930, in [[Rome]], Italy.<ref name="ushof" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/740566main_current.pdf#page=42|title=Astronaut Fact Book|date=April 2013|publisher=NASA|access-date=April 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829113430/https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/740566main_current.pdf|archive-date=August 29, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> He was the second son of [[James Lawton Collins]],{{sfn|Hansen|2005|pp=344–345}} a career [[U.S. Army]] officer, who was the U.S. [[military attaché]] there from 1928 to 1932, and Virginia C. Collins ({{nee}} Stewart).{{sfn|Cullum|1940|p=197}} Collins had an older brother, [[James Lawton Collins Jr.]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-may-12-me-collins12-story.html|title=James Collins Jr., 84; General, Military Historian|last=Barnes|first=Bart|date=May 12, 2002|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=October 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150828234503/http://articles.latimes.com/2002/may/12/local/me-collins12|archive-date=August 28, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Cullum|1950|p=986}} and two older sisters, Virginia and Agnes. Collins' mother was of [[British People|British]] descent, and his father's family hailed from [[Ireland]].<ref>{{cite book|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=ExkCU3lnBhIC|title =The First Men on the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11|first =David M.|last =Harland|author-link =David M. Harland|publisher =Springer Science & Business Media|date =2007|page =11|isbn =978-0387495446}}</ref>{{rp|11}}

For the first 17 years of his life, Collins [[Military brat|lived in many places]] as the Army posted his father to different locations: Rome; [[Oklahoma]]; [[Governors Island]], [[New York (state)|New York]]; [[Fort Hoyle]] (near [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]]); [[Fort Hayes]] (near [[Columbus, Ohio]]); [[Puerto Rico]]; [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]]; and [[Alexandria, Virginia]].{{sfn|Hansen|2005|pp=344–345}} During his boyhood, Collins was an [[altar server|altar boy]] who served at the [[Washington National Cathedral|National Cathedral]] in Washington DC,{{sfn|Collins|2001|p=410}} but in his own words, he was "probably the only astronaut who had never been a Boy Scout".{{sfn|Collins|2001|p=96}} He took his first plane ride in Puerto Rico aboard a [[Grumman Widgeon]]; the pilot allowed him to fly it for a portion of the flight. He wanted to fly again, but since [[World War II]] started soon after, he was unable.{{sfn|Collins|1994|p=12}} He studied for two years in the [[Academia del Perpetuo Socorro]] in [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]].<ref>''San Juan's Young King Who Climbed to the Moon''. 1969 ''[[Congressional Record]]'', Vol. 115, Pages [https://archive.org/details/congressionalrec115kunit H25639-H25640] (September 16, 1969). Retrieved November 26, 2015.</ref>

After the United States entered World War II, the family moved to [[Washington, D.C.]], where Collins attended [[St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.)|St. Albans School]] and graduated in 1948.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1977/05/10/ferdinand-ruge-st-albans-english-master-dies/7904e6d7-cce8-4c6f-91f8-8618985a65d7/|title=Ferdinand Ruge, St. Albans English Master, Dies|last1=Bonner|first1=Alice|date=May 10, 1977|access-date=April 11, 2018|newspaper=The Washington Post|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180430182616/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1977/05/10/ferdinand-ruge-st-albans-english-master-dies/7904e6d7-cce8-4c6f-91f8-8618985a65d7/|archive-date=April 30, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Hansen|2005|pp=344–345}} His mother wanted him to enter the [[diplomatic service]],{{sfn|Hansen|2005|pp=344–345}} but he decided to follow his father, two uncles, brother, and cousin into the armed services. He received an appointment to the [[United States Military Academy]] at [[West Point, New York]], from which his father and his older brother had graduated in 1907 and 1939 respectively.{{sfn|Cullum|1950|p=986}} He graduated on June 3, 1952, with a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[military science]],{{sfn|Chaikin|2007|p=599}} finishing 185th of 527 cadets in the class, which included future fellow astronaut [[Ed White (astronaut)|Ed White]].{{sfn|Hansen|2005|pp=344–345}}{{sfn|Cullum|1960|p=605}}

Collins' decision to join the [[United States Air Force]] (USAF) was motivated by both the wonder of what the next fifty years might bring in [[aeronautics]], and to avoid accusations of [[nepotism]] had he joined the Army—where his brother was already a [[colonel (United States)|colonel]], his father had reached the rank of [[Major general (United States)|major general]] and his uncle, [[General (United States)|General]] [[J. Lawton Collins]] (1896–1987), was the [[Chief of Staff of the United States Army]].{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=7–8}} The [[United States Air Force Academy|Air Force Academy]], still under construction, would not graduate its first class for several years. In the interim, graduates of the Military Academy were eligible for Air Force commissions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.military.com/history/air-force-col-michael-collins.html|title=Air Force Col. Michael Collins|publisher=Military.com|last1=Patrick|first1=Bethany Kelly|access-date=May 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503185919/https://www.military.com/history/air-force-col-michael-collins.html|archive-date=May 3, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Promotion was slower in the Air Force than in the Army, due to the large number of young officers who had been commissioned and promoted during World War II.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=7–8}}

==Military service==
===Fighter pilot===
Collins began basic flight training in the [[T-6 Texan]] at [[Columbus Air Force Base]] in [[Columbus, Mississippi]], in August 1952, then moved on to [[Camp Gary|San Marcos Air Force Base]] in [[Texas]] to learn instrument and formation flying, and finally to [[James Connally Air Force Base]] in [[Waco, Texas|Waco]], Texas, for training in jet aircraft. Flying came easily to him, and unlike many of his colleagues, he had little fear of failure. He was awarded his [[United States Aviator Badge|wings]] upon completion of the course at Waco, and in September 1953, he was chosen for advanced [[day fighter|day-fighter]] training at [[Nellis Air Force Base]], [[Nevada]], flying [[F-86 Sabre]]s. The training was dangerous; eleven people were killed in accidents during the 22 weeks he was there.{{sfn|Cullum|1960|p=605}}{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=8–9}}

This was followed by an assignment in January 1954 to the [[21st Fighter-Bomber Wing]] at [[George Air Force Base]], California, where he learned ground attack and [[nuclear weapons delivery]] techniques in the F-86. He moved with the 21st to [[Chambley-Bussières Air Base]], France, in December 1954. He won first prize in a 1956 gunnery competition.{{sfn|Cullum|1960|p=605}}{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=8–9}} During a [[NATO]] exercise that year, he was forced to eject from an F-86, near [[Quartier Général d'Aboville|Chaumont-Semoutiers AB]], after a fire started aft of the cockpit.{{sfn|Barbree|2014|p=184}}

Collins met his future wife, Patricia Mary Finnegan from [[Boston]], Massachusetts, in an officers' mess. A graduate of [[Emmanuel College (Massachusetts)|Emmanuel College]], where she majored in English, she was a social worker, dealing mainly with single mothers. To see more of the world, she was working for the Air Force service club. After getting engaged, they had to overcome a difference in religion. Collins was raised nominally [[Episcopal Church in the United States|Episcopalian]], while Finnegan came from a staunchly [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] family. Collins converted to Catholicism before their marriage. After seeking permission to marry from Finnegan's father, and delaying their wedding when Collins was redeployed to [[West Germany]] during the [[1956 Hungarian Revolution]], they married in 1957.{{sfn|Hansen|2005|pp=346–347}} They had a daughter, actress [[Kate Collins (actress)|Kate Collins]], in 1959,{{sfn|Chaikin|2007|p=599}} a second daughter, Ann, in 1961 and a son, Michael, in 1963.{{sfn|Collins|2001|p=43}}

After Collins returned to the United States in late 1957, he attended an aircraft maintenance officer course at [[Chanute Air Force Base]], [[Illinois]]. He would later describe this school as "dismal" in his autobiography; he found the classwork boring, flying time scarce, and the equipment outdated. Upon completing the course, he commanded a Mobile Training Detachment (MTD) and traveled to air bases around the world.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=11–12}} The detachment trained mechanics on the servicing of new aircraft, and pilots how to fly them. He later became the first commander of a Field Training Detachment (FTD 523) back at Nellis AFB, which was a similar kind of unit, except that the students traveled to him.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.westpointaog.org/page.aspx?pid=547|title=1998 Distinguished Graduate Award|date=May 13, 1998 |publisher=West Point Association of Graduates|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304172721/https://www.westpointaog.org/page.aspx?pid=547|archive-date=March 4, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Test pilot===
[[File:ARPS Class III.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Two rows of men in front of a jet|ARPS Class III graduates. Front row: [[Ed Givens]], [[Tommie Benefield]], [[Charles Bassett]], [[Greg Neubeck]] and Collins. Back row: Al Atwell, Neil Garland, Jim Roman, Al Uhalt and [[Joe Engle]]]]
Collins' MTD posting allowed him to accumulate over 1,500 flying hours, the minimum required for admission to the [[U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School|USAF Experimental Flight Test Pilot School]] at [[Edwards Air Force Base]], California. His application was successful, and on August 29, 1960, he became a member of Class 60C,{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=13–17}} which included [[Frank Borman]], [[Jim Irwin]] and [[Thomas P. Stafford|Tom Stafford]], who later became astronauts. Military [[test pilot]] instruction started with the North American [[T-28 Trojan]], and proceeded through the high performance [[F-86 Sabre]], [[B-57 Canberra]], [[T-33 Shooting Star]], and the [[F-104 Starfighter]].{{sfn|Burgess|2013|p=118}} Collins was a heavy smoker, but quit in 1962 after suffering a particularly bad [[hangover]]. The next day, he spent what he described as the worst four hours of his life in the [[Right seat (cockpit)|co-pilot's seat]] of a [[B-52 Stratofortress]] while going through the initial stages of [[nicotine withdrawal]].{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=153–155}}

The inspiration for Collins in his decision to become a NASA astronaut was the [[Mercury Atlas 6]] flight of [[John Glenn]] on February 20, 1962, and the thought of being able to circle the Earth in 90 minutes. Collins applied for the second group of astronauts that year. To raise the numbers of Air Force pilots selected, the Air Force sent their best applicants to a "charm school". Medical and psychiatric examinations at [[Brooks Air Force Base]], Texas, and interviews at the [[Manned Spacecraft Center]] (MSC) in [[Houston]] followed. In mid-September, he found out he had not been accepted. It was a blow even though he did not expect to be selected. Collins rated the [[NASA Astronaut Group 2|second group of nine]] as better than the [[Mercury Seven]] who preceded them, or the five groups that followed, including his own.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=25–33}}

That year the USAF Experimental Flight Test Pilot School became the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS),{{sfn|Hansen|2005|p=347}} as the Air Force tried to enter into space research through the [[X-15]] and [[Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar|X-20]] programs. Collins applied for a new postgraduate course offered into the basics of spaceflight. He was accepted into the third class on October 22, 1962. Other students in his eleven-member class included three future astronauts: [[Charles Bassett]], [[Edward Givens]] and [[Joe Engle]].{{sfn|Burgess|2013|pp=18–19}} Along with classwork, they also flew up to about {{convert|90000|ft}} in [[Lockheed F-104 Starfighter|F-104 Starfighters]]. As they passed through the top of their arc, they would experience a brief period of [[weightlessness]]. On finishing this course he returned to fighter operations in May 1963.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=34–40}}

At the start of June, NASA once again called for astronaut applications. Collins went through the same process as with his first application, though he did not take the psychiatric evaluation. He was at [[Randolph Air Force Base]], Texas, on October 14 when [[Deke Slayton]], the [[Chief of the Astronaut Office]] at NASA, called and asked if he was still interested in becoming an astronaut.  [[Charles Bassett]] was also accepted.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=40–46}} By this time Collins had flown over 3,000 hours, of which 2,700 were in jet aircraft.{{sfn|Burgess|2013|p=288}}

==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>

==Post-NASA activities==
===Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs===
[[Image:MichaelCollinsByPhilKonstantin.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Collins, February 2009|alt=see caption]]
NASA Administrator [[Thomas O. Paine]] told Collins that Secretary of State [[William P. Rogers]] was interested in appointing Collins to the position of [[Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs]]. After the crew returned to the U.S. in November, Collins sat down with Rogers and accepted the position on the urgings of President [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]].{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=454–455}} He was an unusual choice for the role, as he was neither a journalist nor a career diplomat. Nor, unlike some of his predecessors, did he act as the department spokesperson. Instead, as the head of the [[State Department]]'s Bureau of Public Affairs, his role was that of managing relations with the public at large. He had a staff of 115 and a budget of $2.5&nbsp;million,{{sfn|Lee|2007|pp=184–186}} but this was small compared with the 6,000 public affairs staff at the [[United States Department of Defense]].{{sfn|Lee|2007|p=188}}

Collins was appointed to the position on December 15, 1969, and began his work on January 6, 1970.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Michael Collins – People – Department History – Office of the Historian|url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/collins-michael|access-date=April 29, 2021|website=history.state.gov}}</ref> He took over at a very difficult time. The [[Vietnam War]] was going badly, and the [[Cambodian Campaign|invasion of Cambodia]] and the [[Kent State shootings]] had triggered a wave of protests and unrest across the country. He had no illusions about his ability to change minds, but attempted to engage with the public all the same, playing on his Apollo 11 fame.{{sfn|Lee|2007|p=188}} He attributed part of the nation's problems to insularity. In a 1970 commencement speech at [[Saint Michael's College]] in Vermont, he told his audience that "Farmers speak to farmers, students to students, business leaders to other business leaders, but this intramural talk serves mainly to mirror one's beliefs, to reinforce existing prejudices, to lock out opposing views".{{sfn|Lee|2007|p=187}}

Collins realized he was not enjoying the job, and secured President Nixon's permission to become the Director of the National Air and Space Museum.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/74-7459hjpg|title=Michael Collins|date=June 9, 2016 |publisher=National Air and Space Museum|access-date=March 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327092918/https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/74-7459hjpg|archive-date=March 27, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> His departure was officially announced on February 22, 1971,{{sfn|Lee|2007|p=189}} and his term as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs ended on April 11, 1971.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/collins-michael |access-date=December 18, 2018 |title=Michael Collins – People – Department History – Office of the Historian |publisher=United States Department of States |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218054536/https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/collins-michael |archive-date=December 18, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> The position remained vacant until [[Carol Laise]] succeeded him in October 1973.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24353266/the_pittsburgh_press/|title=Eyes of Nepalese|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|location=Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|via=Newspapers.com|page=17|date=November 27, 1973|access-date=October 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008061508/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24353266/the_pittsburgh_press/|archive-date=October 8, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/laise-caroline-clendening |access-date=December 18, 2018 |title=Caroline Clendening Laise – People – Department History – Office of the Historian |publisher=United States Department of States |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218054522/https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/laise-caroline-clendening |archive-date=December 18, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Director of the National Air and Space Museum===
<!--The new position was as director of the [[National Air and Space Museum]].<ref name="nasmod" />-->
On August 12, 1946, [[United States Congress|Congress]] passed an [[authorization bill]] for a [[National Air Museum]], to be administered by the [[Smithsonian Institution]], and located on the [[National Mall]] in Washington, D.C.{{sfn|Harwit|1996|p=14}} Under the U.S. legislative system, authorization is insufficient; Congress also has to pass an [[appropriation bill]] allocating funding. Since this was not done, there was no money for the museum building.{{sfn|Harwit|1996|p=15}}

[[File:National Air and Space Museum Entrance.JPG|thumb|right|alt=Patrons mill around hall with SpaceShip One, the Spirit of Saint Louis, and the Apollo 11 command module|The Milestones of Flight Hall of the [[National Air and Space Museum]] in Washington, D.C.]]
The 1957 [[Sputnik crisis]] and the resulting [[Space Race]] led to a surge of public interest in space exploration. The ''[[Freedom 7]]'' and ''[[Friendship 7]]'' [[Project Mercury]] spacecraft were donated to the Smithsonian, and 2,670,000 visitors descended on the [[Arts and Industries Building]] when they were put on display in 1963. The museum was renamed the National Air and Space Museum in 1966, but there was still no funding to build it.{{sfn|Roland|1993|p=84}} Apollo 11 created another surge of interest in space. An exhibition of a [[Moon rock]] attracted 200,000 visitors in one month.{{sfn|Roland|1993|p=85}} On May 19, 1970, Senator [[Barry Goldwater]], a retired USAF major general, gave an impassioned speech in the Senate for funding of a museum building.{{sfn|Roland|1993|pp=86–87}}

The job had a clearly defined and tangible goal: to obtain congressional funding, and to build the museum.{{sfn|Lee|2007|p=188}} Collins lobbied hard for the new museum. With the help of Goldwater in particular, Congress relented, and on August 10, 1972, approved $13&nbsp;million and contract authority of $27&nbsp;million for its construction.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://siris-sihistory.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1R89354591IU1.2241&profile=sicall&source=~!sichronology&view=subscriptionsummary&uri=full=3100001~!926~!41&ri=1&aspect=power&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=National+air+and+space+museum&index=.SW&uindex=&aspect=power&menu=search&ri=1&limitbox_1=LO01+=+sch |title=NASM Construction Appropriation Approved |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |access-date=March 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221090523/https://siris-sihistory.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1R89354591IU1.2241&profile=sicall&source=~!sichronology&view=subscriptionsummary&uri=full=3100001~!926~!41&ri=1&aspect=power&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=National+air+and+space+museum&index=.SW&uindex=&aspect=power&menu=search&ri=1&limitbox_1=LO01+=+sch |archive-date=December 21, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> The $40&nbsp;million budget was lower than he had hoped for, and the building had to be scaled back and some economies made.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2015/06/a-popular-smithsonian-museum-is-falling-apart-weve.html |title=The National Air and Space Museum is falling apart. We've got the details on the $365M fix |newspaper=Washington Business Journal |first=Michael |last=Neibauer |date=June 30, 2015 |access-date=January 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826083156/http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2015/06/a-popular-smithsonian-museum-is-falling-apart-weve.html |archive-date=August 26, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In addition to cost pressure, there was also severe time pressure, as the museum was scheduled to open on July 4, 1976, as part of celebrations of the upcoming [[United States Bicentennial]]. The design by architect [[Gyo Obata]] of the [[St. Louis]] firm [[HOK (firm)|Hellmuth Obata & Kassabaum]] aimed to harmonize the new museum with the other ones on the National Mall, so the exteriors were faced with [[Tennessee marble]] to match the façade of the National Gallery of Art.<ref name="Torch">{{cite magazine |url=https://siarchives.si.edu/sites/default/files/pdfs/torch/Torch%201976/SIA_000371_1976_07_V2.pdf |magazine=The Smithsonian Torch |date=July 1976 |title=NASM Set to Launch July 1 |first=Linda |last=St. Thomas |access-date=January 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412120911/https://siarchives.si.edu/sites/default/files/pdfs/torch/Torch%201976/SIA_000371_1976_07_V2.pdf |archive-date=April 12, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Gilbane Building Company]] was awarded the construction contract. Everything was fast-tracked. Contracts were awarded as soon as each component of the design was complete. This allowed the first contract to be awarded within five months of the start of design. The design was completed in just nine months, and all contracts were awarded within a year of the start of design.<ref name="Gilbane">{{cite web |url=https://www.gilbaneco.com/project/national-air-space-museum-2/ |title=National Air and Space Museum |work=Gilbane |access-date=January 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327090631/https://www.gilbaneco.com/project/national-air-space-museum-2/ |archive-date=March 27, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:8727-National-Air-and-Space-Museum (27234244521).jpg|thumb|left|alt=see caption|''[[Command module Columbia|Columbia]]'' at the National Air and Space Museum]]
Ground was broken on the new museum on November 20, 1972.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://siris-sihistory.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1R89354591IU1.2241&profile=sicall&source=~!sichronology&view=subscriptionsummary&uri=full=3100001~!927~!42&ri=1&aspect=power&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=National+air+and+space+museum&index=.SW&uindex=&aspect=power&menu=search&ri=1&limitbox_1=LO01+=+sch |title=Ground is Broken for NASM |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |access-date=March 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221090613/https://siris-sihistory.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1R89354591IU1.2241&profile=sicall&source=~!sichronology&view=subscriptionsummary&uri=full=3100001~!927~!42&ri=1&aspect=power&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=National+air+and+space+museum&index=.SW&uindex=&aspect=power&menu=search&ri=1&limitbox_1=LO01+=+sch |archive-date=December 21, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> The building was built horizontally rather than vertically, as is the norm, so that work on the interiors could proceed concurrently.<ref name="Gilbane" /> Overseeing construction was but a part of Collins' task: he also had to hire museum staff, oversee the creation of exhibits, and launch the museum's [[Center for Earth and Planetary Studies]], a new division devoted to research and analysis of lunar and planetary spacecraft data.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/history-0 |title=History |publisher=National Air and Space Museum |access-date=January 19, 2019 |date=June 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121459/https://airandspace.si.edu/history-0 |archive-date=January 19, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Collins described the project as "a monumental effort" in which "individual creativity combined with dedicated teamwork and plain hard work".<ref name="Torch" />

The museum was completed on budget, and opened three days ahead of schedule on July 1, 1976.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/about/history/museum-dc |title=Museum in DC |publisher=National Air and Space Museum |access-date=March 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160706141805/https://airandspace.si.edu/about/history/museum-dc |archive-date=July 6, 2016 |url-status=live |date=May 3, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uODBHH9E90| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/1uODBHH9E90| archive-date=November 14, 2021 | url-status=live|title=Michael Collins Reflects on the Building of the Museum|via=YouTube|work=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum|date=July 12, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> President [[Gerald Ford]] presided over the formal opening ceremony.<ref name="Torch" /> Over one million visitors passed through its doors in the first month, and it quickly established itself as one of the world's most popular museums, averaging between eight and nine million visitors per annum over the next two decades. Visitors entering saw ''Columbia'' in the Milestones of Flight Hall, along with the ''[[Wright Flyer]]'', the ''[[Spirit of St. Louis]]'' and ''[[Glamorous Glennis]]''.{{sfn|Harwit|1996|pp=20–21}}

Collins held the directorship until 1978,<ref name="nasmod">{{cite web |url=http://siarchives.si.edu/research/ah00115nasmod.html |title=National Air and Space Museum, Office of the Director – Agency History |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |date=August 29, 2002 |access-date=April 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208003720/http://siarchives.si.edu/research/ah00115nasmod.html |archive-date=February 8, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> when he stepped down to become undersecretary of the [[Smithsonian Institution]].<ref name="goldmedal">''Congressional Gold Medal to Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins''. {{USCongRec|2000|H4714|date=June 20, 2000}}. Retrieved April 16, 2015.</ref> During this time, although no longer an active-duty USAF officer after he joined the State Department in 1970, he remained in the [[U.S. Air Force Reserve]]. He attained the rank of major general in 1976, and retired in 1982.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.afspc.af.mil/News/Commentaries/Display/Article/252469/more-than-an-astronaut-an-american-airman/ |title=More than an astronaut; an American Airman |first=Jessica |last=Hines |date=August 3, 2010 |access-date=December 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221041449/https://www.afspc.af.mil/News/Commentaries/Display/Article/252469/more-than-an-astronaut-an-american-airman/ |archive-date=December 21, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Other activities===
[[File:Neil Armstrong family memorial service (201208310017HQ).jpg|thumb|right|alt=see caption|Collins, NASA Deputy Administrator [[Lori Garver]] and NASA Administrator [[Charles Bolden]] at a memorial service for Neil Armstrong in 2012]]
Collins completed the [[Harvard Business School]]'s [[Harvard Business School#Advanced Management Program|Advanced Management Program]] in 1974, and in 1980 became vice president of [[Vought|LTV Aerospace]] in [[Arlington County, Virginia]].<ref name=wsrtvt>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2ZxjAAAAIBAJ&pg=6553%2C3867649 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=wire service reports |title=Ex-astrounaut leaves Smithsonian |date=January 15, 1980 |page=6A}}</ref> He resigned in 1985 to start his own consulting firm, Michael Collins Associates.<ref name="papers" /> He wrote an autobiography in 1974 entitled ''[[Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys]]''. ''[[The New York Times]]'' writer [[John Noble Wilford|John Wilford]] wrote that it is "generally regarded as the best account of what it is like to be an astronaut."<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/17/us/health-care-debate-astronauts-three-voyagers-moon-life-after-making-history-tv.html|first1=John Noble|last1=Wilford|title=The Health Care Debate: The Astronauts|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 17, 1994|access-date=April 27, 2018|author-link=John Noble Wilford|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427192412/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/17/us/health-care-debate-astronauts-three-voyagers-moon-life-after-making-history-tv.html|archive-date=April 27, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Collins also wrote ''Liftoff: The Story of America's Adventure in Space'' (1988), a history of the American space program, ''Mission to Mars'' (1990), a non-fiction book on human spaceflight to Mars, and ''Flying to the Moon and Other Strange Places ''(1976), revised and re-released as ''Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story ''(1994), a children's book on his experiences. Along with his writing, painted watercolors, mostly of the [[Florida Everglades]] or aircraft he flew; they were rarely space-related.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynac8iSpywY|title=Michael Collins Interview|via=YouTube|publisher=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum|series=STEM in 30|date=September 2, 2016 |interviewer=Beth Wilson|access-date=April 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720202229/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynac8iSpywY|archive-date=July 20, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> He did not initially sign his paintings to avoid them increasing in price just because they had his autograph on them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.novaspace.com/ARTIST/MichaelCollins.html|title=Michael Collins|publisher=Astronaut Central|access-date=April 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060104062100/http://www.novaspace.com/ARTIST/MichaelCollins.html|archive-date=January 4, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Collins lived with his wife, Pat, in [[Marco Island, Florida]], and [[Avon, North Carolina]], until her death in April 2014.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Marquard |first1=Bryan |title=Patricia Collins, 83; wrote about being an astronaut's wife |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/05/03/patricia-collins-wrote-poignantly-about-being-astronaut-wife/tCrKU0SGaZoC7aOBo0tnWK/story.html |access-date=November 26, 2015 |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=May 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151127055535/https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/05/03/patricia-collins-wrote-poignantly-about-being-astronaut-wife/tCrKU0SGaZoC7aOBo0tnWK/story.html |archive-date=November 27, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Death==
On April 28, 2021, Collins died of [[cancer]] at his home in [[Naples, Florida]], at the age of 90.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|first=Russell |last=Lewis |date=April 28, 2021 |title=Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins Dies|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/04/28/509599284/forgotten-astronaut-michael-collins-dies|access-date=April 28, 2021|publisher=NPR |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428181124/https://www.npr.org/2021/04/28/509599284/forgotten-astronaut-michael-collins-dies |archive-date=April 28, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/28/science/michael-collins-third-man-of-the-moon-landing-dies-at-90.html|title = Michael Collins, 'Third Man' of the Moon Landing, Dies at 90|work = [[The New York Times]]|last = Goldstein|first = Richard|date = April 28, 2021|access-date = April 28, 2021}}</ref>

Buzz Aldrin, who became the last survivor of Apollo 11, said that "wherever [Collins has] been or will be, you will always have the Fire to Carry us deftly to new heights and the future."<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1387451395461292037|user=TheRealBuzz|title=Dear Mike, Wherever you have been or will be, you will always have the Fire to Carry us deftly to new heights and the future. We will miss you. May you Rest in peace.|date=April 28, 2021|access-date=February 17, 2022|first=Buzz|last=Aldrin}}</ref>

On January 30, 2023, Collins' ashes were interred in [[Arlington National Cemetery]].<ref>{{cite AV media |date=January 31, 2023 |title=Military Funeral Honors for Maj. Gen. Michael Collins |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lo4Mi9fKsE |access-date=April 25, 2023 |publisher=Arlington National Cemetery}}</ref>

==Honors and awards==
Collins was a long-time [[trustee]] of the [[National Geographic Society]] and served as Trustee Emeritus.<ref name="nyt" /> He was also a [[fellow]] of the [[Society of Experimental Test Pilots]] and the [[American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics]].<ref name="nasabio1">{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/collins-m.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331125639/https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/collins-m.pdf |archive-date=2019-03-31 |url-status=live|title=Biographical Data|publisher=NASA|access-date=January 15, 2021|date=September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.setp.org/setp-personnel/fellow-classes.html|title=Fellow Classes|publisher=SETP|access-date=May 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306055156/http://www.setp.org/setp-personnel/fellow-classes.html|archive-date=March 6, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Michael Collins at Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=see caption|Collins during the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in the Rotunda at the [[U.S. Capitol]] on November 16, 2011]]
Collins was inducted into four halls of fame: the [[International Air & Space Hall of Fame]] (1971),<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hall of Fame Honoree - Michaeal Collins|date=1971|publisher=International Aerospace Hall of Fame|location=San Diego, California|language=en|url=https://sandiegoairandspace.org/hall-of-fame/honoree/michael-collins|access-date=January 1, 2023}}</ref> the [[New Mexico Museum of Space History|International Space Hall of Fame]] (1977),<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28241576/las_cruces_sunnews/|title=Space Hall Honors Pioneers|newspaper=Las Cruces Sun-News|location=Las Cruces, New Mexico|date=October 30, 1977|page=6|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327233338/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28241576/las_cruces_sunnews/|archive-date=March 27, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> the [[U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame]] (1993),<ref name="ushof">{{cite web|url=https://astronautscholarship.org/Astronauts/michael-collins/|title=Michael Collins|publisher=Astronaut Scholarship Foundation|access-date=March 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228162008/https://astronautscholarship.org/Astronauts/michael-collins/|archive-date=February 28, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33582881/florida_today/|title=Activities Honor Gemini Astronauts|newspaper=Florida Today|location=Cocoa, Florida|date=March 14, 1993|page=41|via=Newspapers.com|last1=Clark|first1=Amy|access-date=July 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706075054/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33582881/florida_today/|archive-date=July 6, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[National Aviation Hall of Fame]] (1985). In 2008 he was inducted into the [[Aerospace Walk of Honor]] in [[Lancaster, California]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityoflancasterca.org/about-us/departments-services/parks-recreation-arts/special-events/aerospace-walk-of-honor-program-has-been-concluded/honorees/2008|title=2008 Honorees|publisher=City of Lancaster|access-date=March 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302164508/http://www.cityoflancasterca.org/about-us/departments-services/parks-recreation-arts/special-events/aerospace-walk-of-honor-program-has-been-concluded/honorees/2008|archive-date=March 2, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[International Astronomical Union]] honored him by naming an asteroid after him, [[6471 Collins]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nmspacemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.php?id=37|title=Piloted the command module on Apollo 11, the first manned moon-landing mission|publisher=New Mexico Museum of Space History|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022193831/http://www.nmspacemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.php?id=37|archive-date=October 22, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Also, like the other two Apollo 11 crew members, he has a [[Collins (crater)|lunar crater named after him]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.space.com/20739-apollo-moon-landing-sites-telescope.html|title=How to See Where Astronauts Walked on the Moon|last1=Gaherty|first1=Geoff|date=April 19, 2013|publisher=Space.com|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304172505/https://www.space.com/20739-apollo-moon-landing-sites-telescope.html|archive-date=March 4, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Collins was awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross]] in 1966 for his work in the Gemini Project.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/143787|title=Michael Collins|publisher=The Hall of Valor Project|access-date=April 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424071346/https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/143787|archive-date=April 24, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> He was also awarded [[Astronaut Badge#U.S. Air Force astronauts|Air Force Command Pilot Astronaut Wings]].<ref name="nasabio1" /> Deputy NASA Administrator [[Robert Seamans]] pinned the [[NASA Exceptional Service Medal]] on Collins and Young in 1966 for their role in the Gemini 10 mission.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19550275/independent/|title=Whoosh to Altitude Record 'Tremendous Thrill' to Astros|agency=UPI|newspaper=Independent|location=Long Beach, California|page=14|date=August 2, 1966|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425184727/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19550275/independent/|archive-date=April 25, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> For the Apollo Project, he was awarded the [[Air Force Distinguished Service Medal]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/143787 |title=Michael Collins – Recipient |publisher=Military Times Hall of Valor |access-date=December 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221041600/https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/143787 |archive-date=December 21, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]].{{sfn|Gawdiak|Fedor|1994|p=398}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44062092/arizona_republic/|title=Agnew Confers Awards on Crews of 3 Apollos|newspaper=Arizona Republic|location=Phoenix, Arizona|date=November 14, 1970|agency=Associated Press|page=23|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He was awarded the [[Legion of Merit]] in 1977.<ref name="papers">{{cite web |url=http://search.vaheritage.org/vivaxtf/view?docId=vt/viblbv00092.xml |title=A Guide to the Michael Collins Papers, 1907–2004 Collins, Michael Papers Ms1989-029 |publisher=Virginia Heritage |access-date=December 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626230557/http://search.vaheritage.org/vivaxtf/view?docId=vt%2Fviblbv00092.xml |archive-date=June 26, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Along with the rest of the Apollo 11 crew, he was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] with Distinction by President Nixon in 1969 at the state dinner in their honor.<ref name="LADinner" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19490632/the_gastonia_gazette/|title="Three Very Brave Men" Given Presidential Toast and Medals|newspaper=The Gastonia Gazette|location=Gastonia, North Carolina|date=August 14, 1969|page=1|agency=Associated Press|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423170200/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19490632/the_gastonia_gazette/|archive-date=April 23, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The three were awarded the [[Collier Trophy]] and the General Thomas D. White USAF Space Trophy in 1969.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents/1997/May%201997/0597recs.pdf|title=The Gen. Thomas D. White USAF Space Trophy|magazine=Air Force Magazine|date=May 1997|page=156|access-date=March 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412120754/http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents/1997/May%201997/0597recs.pdf|archive-date=April 12, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[National Aeronautic Association]] president awarded a duplicate trophy to Collins and Aldrin at a ceremony.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://naa.aero/awards/awards-and-trophies/collier-trophy/collier-1960-1969-winners|title=Collier 1960–1969 Recipients|publisher=National Aeronautic Association|access-date=March 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825074817/https://naa.aero/awards/awards-and-trophies/collier-trophy/collier-1960-1969-winners|archive-date=August 25, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19579176/austin_americanstatesman/|title=Apollo 11 Honor|date=May 7, 1970|newspaper=The Burlington Free Press|location=Burlington, Vermont|page=3|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426213853/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19579176/austin_americanstatesman/|archive-date=April 26, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The trio received the international [[Harmon Trophy]] for aviators in 1970,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/09/07/archives/two-raf-pilots-to-share-harmon-aviators-trophy.html|title=Two R.A.F. Pilots to Share Harmon Aviator's Trophy|date=September 7, 1970|access-date=March 3, 2018|newspaper=The New York Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105180344/http://www.nytimes.com/1970/09/07/archives/two-raf-pilots-to-share-harmon-aviators-trophy.html|archive-date=January 5, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19532169/the_montgomery_advertiser/|title=Apollo 11 Astronauts Add Harmon Trophy to Collection|newspaper=The Montgomery Advertiser|location=Montgomery, Alabama|date=September 6, 1970|page=52|via=Newspapers.com|agency=Associated Press|access-date=April 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425031931/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19532169/the_montgomery_advertiser/|archive-date=April 25, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> conferred to them by Vice President [[Spiro Agnew]] in 1971.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19532416/the_times/|title=3 Astronauts get Harmon Trophies|newspaper=The Times|location=Shreveport, Louisiana|agency=Associated Press|date=May 20, 1971|page=20|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425032011/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19532416/the_times/|archive-date=April 25, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Agnew also presented them the [[Hubbard Medal]] of the National Geographic Society in 1970. He told them, "You've won a place alongside Christopher Columbus in American history".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19603390/the_la_crosse_tribune/|title=Agnew Gives Medals to Apollo 11 Crew|newspaper=The La Crosse Tribune|agency=Associated Press|date=February 18, 1970|page=6|location=La Crosse, Wisconsin|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427184318/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19603390/the_la_crosse_tribune/|archive-date=April 27, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:-Apollo50th (48324509041).jpg|thumb|Collins with President [[Donald Trump]], Vice President [[Mike Pence]] and NASA Administrator [[Jim Bridenstine]] in July 2019]]
Collins also received the [[Iven C. Kincheloe Award]] from the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) in 1970.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/collins-michael/|title=Collins, Michael|publisher=National Aviation Hall of Fame|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319143318/http://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/collins-michael/|archive-date=March 19, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.setp.org/winners/iven-c-kincheloe-recipients.html|title=Iven C. Kincheloe Recipients|publisher=Society of Experimental Test Pilots|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801194948/http://www.setp.org/winners/iven-c-kincheloe-recipients.html|archive-date=August 1, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1989, some of his personal papers were transferred to [[Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University]].<ref name="papers" /> In 1999, while celebrating the 30th anniversary of the lunar landing, Vice President [[Al Gore]], who was also the vice chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents, presented the Apollo 11 crew with the Smithsonian's [[Langley Gold Medal]] for aviation. After the ceremony, the crew went to the White House and presented President [[Bill Clinton]] with an encased Moon rock.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3077902/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/moon-anniversary-celebrated/|title=Moon Anniversary Celebrated|publisher=NBC News|last1=Boyle|first1=Alan|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304172507/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3077902/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/moon-anniversary-celebrated/|archive-date=March 4, 2018|url-status=dead|date=July 20, 1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/TECH/space/9907/20/apollo.11.awards/|title=Apollo 11 astronauts honored for 'astonishing' mission|date=July 20, 1999|publisher=CNN|access-date=April 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208064644/http://www.cnn.com/TECH/space/9907/20/apollo.11.awards/|archive-date=February 8, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

The crew was awarded the New Frontier [[Congressional Gold Medal]] in the [[Capitol Rotunda]] in 2011. It is the highest civilian award that can be received in the United States. During the ceremony, NASA administrator [[Charles Bolden]] said, "Those of us who have had the privilege to fly in space followed the trail they forged."<ref name="goldmedal" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/topics/people/features/gold_medal.html|title=NASA Legends Awarded Congressional Gold Medal|date=November 16, 2011|publisher=NASA|access-date=April 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519175531/https://www.nasa.gov/topics/people/features/gold_medal.html|archive-date=May 19, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
[[File:Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in February 2022 (83).jpeg|thumb|Collins depicted (left) on ''[[The Eagle Has Landed (statue)|The Eagle Has Landed]]'' statue, by [[George Lundeen]], Mark Lundeen, and Joey Bainer (2019), exhibited at the [[Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex]]]]
Collins is one of the astronauts featured in the 2007 documentary ''[[In the Shadow of the Moon (2007 film)|In the Shadow of the Moon]].''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/04/science/space/04moon.html|title=Film Takes Us Back 38 Years, to That First Walk|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=August 1, 2018|date=September 4, 2007|last1=Schwartz|first1=John|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802101941/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/04/science/space/04moon.html|archive-date=August 2, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> He had a small part as "Old Man" in the 2009 movie ''[[Youth in Revolt (film)|Youth in Revolt]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10008/1026601-60.stm |title=Michael Cera hopes that movie captures the heart of the book|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=January 8, 2010|access-date=July 3, 2010 |first=Barbara|last=Vancher|quote=...astronaut Michael Collins filmed a bit part as a man selling a broken-down trailer. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100112143948/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10008/1026601-60.stm|archive-date=January 12, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 1996 TV movie ''[[Apollo 11 (1996 film)|Apollo 11]]'', he was played by [[Jim Metzler]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19685595/the_los_angeles_times/|title=Moon Over 'Apollo 11'|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|date=November 17, 1996|page=433|via=Newspapers.com|last1=King|first1=Susan|access-date=April 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180430182639/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19685595/the_los_angeles_times/|archive-date=April 30, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> and in the 1998 [[HBO]] [[miniseries]] ''[[From the Earth to the Moon (miniseries)|From the Earth to the Moon]]'', he was played by [[Cary Elwes]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/03/movies/television-review-boyish-eyes-on-the-moon.html|title=Television Review; Boyish Eyes on the Moon|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 3, 1998|access-date=August 5, 2018|last1=James|first1=Caryn|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806061924/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/03/movies/television-review-boyish-eyes-on-the-moon.html|archive-date=August 6, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 2009 TV movie ''[[Moon Shot (2009 film)|Moon Shot]]'', he was played by [[Andrew Lincoln]].{{sfn|Marill|2010|p=66}} In the 2018 film ''[[First Man (film)|First Man]]'', he was portrayed by [[Lukas Haas]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-44884023|title=Ryan Gosling's Neil Armstrong movie to open Venice Film Festival|date=July 19, 2018|access-date=August 2, 2018|publisher=BBC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802135005/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-44884023|archive-date=August 2, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> and he is featured in the 2019 documentary film ''[[Apollo 11 (2019 film)|Apollo 11]]''. For contributions to the television industry, the Apollo 11 astronauts were honored with round plaques on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/apollo-landing/ |title=Apollo Landing – Hollywood Star Walk|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|first=Scott|last=Sandell|date=March 1, 2010 |access-date=November 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120095349/http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/apollo-landing/ |archive-date=November 20, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In ''[[For All Mankind (TV series)|For All Mankind]]'' he is portrayed by Ryan Kennedy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-102819a-for-all-mankind-apple-tv.html|title='For All Mankind' to launch alternate space race on Apple TV+|date=October 28, 2019|access-date=November 18, 2019|website=collectSPACE}}</ref> In ''[[The Crown (TV series)|The Crown]]'' he is portrayed by [[Andrew-Lee Potts]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-111819a-the-crown-apollo11-moon-landing.html|title=Apollo 11 first moon landing receives royal treatment in 'The Crown'|date=November 18, 2019|access-date=November 18, 2019|website=collectSPACE}}</ref> In the 2024 film, ''[[Fly Me to the Moon (2024 film)|Fly Me to the Moon]]'', he is portrayed by Christian Zuber.

British [[prog rock]] group [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]] recorded a song "For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me", which appears on the [[Benefit (album)|''Benefit'']] album from 1970. The song compares the feelings of misfitting from vocalist [[Ian Anderson (musician)|Ian Anderson]] (and friend [[Jeffrey Hammond]]) with the astronaut's own, as he is left behind by the ones who had the privilege of walking on the surface of the Moon.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/benefit-mw0000190472|title=Jethro Tull – Benefit review|last=Eder|first=Bruce|work=[[AllMusic]] |publisher=[[All Media Network]] |access-date=May 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504012320/https://www.allmusic.com/album/benefit-mw0000190472|archive-date=May 4, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2013, indie pop group [[The Boy Least Likely To]] released the song "Michael Collins" on the album ''The Great Perhaps.'' The song uses Collins' feeling that he was blessed to have the type of solitude of being truly separated from all other human contact in contrast with modern society's lack of perspective.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17986-the-boy-least-likely-to-the-great-perhaps/|title=The Boy Least Likely To|work=Pitchfork|last1=Cox|first1=Jamieson|date=April 25, 2013|access-date=August 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627091308/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17986-the-boy-least-likely-to-the-great-perhaps/|archive-date=June 27, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://beatsperminute.com/reviews/album-review-the-boy-least-likely-to-the-great-perhaps/|title=Beats Per MinuteAlbum Review: The Boy Least Likely To – The Great Perhaps – Beats Per Minute|work=Beats Per Minute|date=May 23, 2013|access-date=July 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113022019/http://beatsperminute.com/reviews/album-review-the-boy-least-likely-to-the-great-perhaps/|archive-date=November 13, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> American folk artist [[John Craigie (musician)|John Craigie]] recorded a song titled "Michael Collins" for his 2017 album ''[[No Rain, No Rose]]''. The song embraces his role as an integral part of the Apollo 11 mission with the chorus, "Sometimes you take the fame, sometimes you sit back stage, but if it weren't for me them boys would still be there."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sandiegotroubadour.com/2017/04/john-craigie-millennial-storyteller/|title=John Craigie: Millennial Storyteller|last1=Moring|first1=JT|date=April 2017|publisher=San Diego Troubadour|access-date=April 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114090047/https://sandiegotroubadour.com/2017/04/john-craigie-millennial-storyteller/|archive-date=January 14, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

Collins provided narration for the [[Google Doodle]] that commemorated the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11's 1969 mission to the Moon.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/google-doodle-takes-you-on-apollo-11s-mission-to-the-moon/|title=Google Doodle takes you on Apollo 11s mission to the moon|date=July 18, 2019|website=CNet|access-date=July 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718133616/https://www.cnet.com/news/google-doodle-takes-you-on-apollo-11s-mission-to-the-moon/|archive-date=July 18, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Works==
* {{cite book |last=Collins |first=Michael |title=Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys |location=New York |publisher=Farrar, Straus, and Giroux |year= 1974 |title-link=Carrying the Fire |bibcode=1974cfaa.book.....C |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Collins |first=Michael |title=Flying to the Moon and Other Strange Places |url=https://archive.org/details/flyingtomoonot00coll |url-access=registration |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |location=New York |year=1976|isbn=978-0-374-32412-4 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Collins |first=Michael |title=Liftoff: The Story of America's Adventure in Space |url=https://archive.org/details/liftoff00coll |url-access=registration |others=Illustrated by James Dean |location=New York |publisher=Grove Press |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-8021-1011-4 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Collins |first=Michael |title=Mission to Mars |url=https://archive.org/details/missiontomars00coll |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Grove Weidenfeld |year= 1990 |isbn=978-0-8021-1160-9 |ref=none}}

== See also ==
* [[Apollo 11 in popular culture]]
* [[List of spaceflight records]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last=Barbree |first=Jay |author-link=Jay Barbree |title=Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight|publisher=Pan |year=2014|isbn=978-1-74354-065-7 |location=Sydney, New South Wales |oclc=927462570 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Benson |first1=Charles D. |last2=Faherty |first2=William B. |title=Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations |date=1978 |id=SP-4204 |publisher=NASA |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19790003956.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404010040/http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19790003956.pdf |archive-date=2015-04-04 |url-status=live |access-date=September 22, 2018 |oclc=47194250 }}
* {{cite book |last=Bilstein |first=Roger E. |title=Stages to Saturn: A Technological History of the Apollo/Saturn Launch Vehicle |year=1980 |publisher=NASA |location=Washington, D.C. |id=SP-4206 |series=NASA History Series |isbn=9780160489099 |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19970009949.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216181323/http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19970009949.pdf |archive-date=2015-02-16 |url-status=live |access-date=September 19, 2018 |oclc=36332191 }}
* {{cite book |last=Burgess |first=Colin |author-link=Colin Burgess (author) |title=Moon Bound: Choosing and Preparing NASA's Lunar Astronauts |location=New York; London |publisher=Springer |year=2013 |series=Springer-Praxis books in space exploration |isbn=978-1-4614-3854-0|oclc=905162781 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Carmichael |first1=Scott W. |title=Moon Men Return: USS ''Hornet'' and the Recovery of the Apollo 11 Astronauts |date=2010 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-1-59114-110-5 |oclc=562772897 }}
* {{cite book |last=Chaikin|first=Andrew |title=A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts |location=London |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2007|isbn=978-0-14-311235-8 |oclc=958200469}}
* {{cite book |last1=Collins |first1=Michael |last2=Aldrin |first2=Edwin E. Jr. |author-link2=Buzz Aldrin |editor-last=Cortright |editor-first=Edgar M |editor-link=Edgar Cortright |contribution=The Eagle Has Landed |pages=203–224 |title=Apollo Expeditions to the Moon |url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-350/cover.html |access-date=June 13, 2013 |date=1975 |publisher=NASA |location=Washington, D.C. |oclc=1623434 |id=SP-350 |archive-date=February 19, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219204538/https://history.nasa.gov/SP-350/ch-9-5.html |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book |last = Collins |first = Michael |year = 2001 |orig-year=1974| title = Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys|title-link=Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys |location=New York |publisher = Cooper Square Press |isbn = 978-0-8154-1028-7 |oclc=45755963 }}
* {{cite book |last=Collins |first=Michael |orig-year=1976 |date=1994 |title=Flying to the Moon: An Astronauts Story |publisher=Square Fish |isbn=978-0-374-42356-8 |location=New York |oclc=29388756 |url=https://archive.org/details/flyingtomoonastr00coll }}
* {{cite book | last = Cullum | first = George W. | author-link = George Washington Cullum | title = Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the US Military Academy at West Point New York Since Its Establishment in 1802: Supplement Volume VIII 1930–1940 | publisher = R. R. Donnelly and Sons, The Lakeside Press | location = Chicago | year = 1940 | url = http://digital-library.usma.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p16919coll3/id/19424/rec/9 | access-date = October 6, 2015 }}
* {{cite book | last = Cullum | first = George W. | title = Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the US Military Academy at West Point New York Since Its Establishment in 1802: Supplement Volume IX 1940–1950 | publisher = R. R. Donnelly and Sons, The Lakeside Press | location = Chicago | year = 1950 | url = http://digital-library.usma.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p16919coll3/id/22314/rec/10 | access-date = October 6, 2015 }}
* {{cite book |last = Cullum |first = George W. |title = Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the US Military Academy at West Point New York Since Its Establishment in 1802: Supplement Volume X 1950–1960 |publisher = West Point Alumni Foundation |location = West Point, New York |year = 1960 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Ertel |first1=Ivan D. |last2=Newkirk |first2=Roland W. |last3=Brooks |first3=Courtney G. |others=Compiled by Sally D. Gates, History Office, [[Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center|JSC]], with Cyril E. Baker, Astronaut Office, JSC |title=The Apollo Spacecraft: A Chronology |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19800011953.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906030528/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19800011953.pdf |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |volume=IV |year=1978 |publisher=NASA |location=Washington, D.C. |id=NASA SP-4009 |oclc=23818 |lccn=69060008 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last = Evans |first = Ben |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=MYasNyKQIxMC&pg=PA151 |title = Foothold in the Heavens: The Seventies |doi = 10.1007/978-1-4419-6342-0 |publisher = Springer Praxis |location = New York |year = 2010 |isbn = 978-1-4419-6342-0 |oclc = 668096065 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Gawdiak |first1=Ihor |last2=Fedor |first2=Helen |title=NASA Historical Databook, Volume IV: NASA Resources 1969–1978 |publisher=NASA |year=1994 |location=Washington, D.C. |id=SP-4012 |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19940029443.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109052558/http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19940029443.pdf |archive-date=2015-01-09 |url-status=live |access-date=November 6, 2018 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Hacker |first1=Barton C. |last2=Grimwood |first2=James M. |title=On the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini |url=http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4203.pdf |access-date=April 8, 2018 |series=NASA History Series |year=2010 |orig-year=1977 |publisher=NASA History Division, Office of Policy and Plans |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=978-0-16-067157-9 |id=NASA SP-4203 |oclc=945144787 }}
* {{cite book |last = Hansen |first = James |author-link=James R. Hansen |year = 2005 |title = First Man: The Life of Neil Armstrong |location=New York |publisher = Simon & Schuster |isbn = 978-0-7432-5631-5 |oclc=937302502 }}
* {{cite book |last=Harwit |first=Martin |author-link=Martin Harwit |title=An Exhibit Denied: Lobbying the History of Enola Gay |year=1996 |publisher=Copernicus |location=New York |isbn=978-0-387-94797-6 |oclc=489580309 |url=https://archive.org/details/exhibitdeniedlob00harw }}
* {{cite journal |last=Lee |first=Mordecai |author-link=Mordecai Lee |title=The Astronaut and Foggy Bottom PR: Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Michael Collins, 1969–1971 |journal=Public Relations Review |issn=0363-8111 |volume=33 |issue=2 |pages=184–190 |year=2007 |doi=10.1016/j.pubrev.2006.11.004 |citeseerx=10.1.1.613.9312 }}
* {{cite book |author=Manned Spacecraft Center |title=Apollo 11 Mission Report |url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11MIssionReport_1971015566.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002175037/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11MIssionReport_1971015566.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-02 |url-status=live |access-date=July 10, 2013 |date=November 1969 |publisher=NASA |location=Houston, Texas |oclc=10970862 |id=SP-238 }}
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* {{cite book |first1=Donald K. |last1=Slayton |author-link1=Deke Slayton |first2=Michael |last2=Cassutt |author-link2=Michael Cassutt |title=Deke! U.S. Manned Space: From Mercury to the Shuttle |publisher=Forge Book |location=New York |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-312-85503-1 |oclc=29845663 |url=https://archive.org/details/dekeusmannedspac00slay }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* [http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jul/HQ_09-164_Collins_statement.txt Statement From Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090824153823/http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jul/HQ_09-164_Collins_statement.txt |date=August 24, 2009 }}, NASA Public Release no. 09-164. Collins' statement on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, July 9, 2009
* Butler, Carol L. (1998). [https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/CollinsM/MC_10-8-97.pdf NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History]
* {{cite book |last=Uusma |first=Bea |author-link=Bea Uusma |year=2003 |title=The Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins |isbn=978-0-7362-2789-6 |location=Carmel, California |publisher=Hampton-Brown |ref=none}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmkDRMcjols Michael Collins visits MIT/AeroAstro] | April 1, 2015

{{People who have traveled to the Moon|state=expanded}}
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{{Gemini program}}
{{U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame}}
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|portal2=Aviation
|portal3=Spaceflight
|portal4=Solar System
|portal5=United States
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Michael}}
[[Category:Michael Collins (astronaut)| ]]
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[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:1966 in spaceflight]]
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[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
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[[Category:Apollo 11|*Collins]]
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[[Category:Recipients of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]
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[[Category:Spacewalkers]]
[[Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery]]