Michael Collins Biography - Life Story «Forgotten Astronaut» from Birth to Death

Michael Collins - is one of the three astronauts, who worked on the «Apollo 11» mission, which made the first lunar landing, one of the biggest events in history of mankind. While his colleagues, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped on the moon, Collins was the command module pilot of the mission, who orbited around the moon. After an initial rejection, Collins was chosen by NASA to be a part of the «Astronaut Group 3». His first spaceflight assignment was the «Gemini 10» mission, during which he performed the spacewalk. Michael Collins was an army man, before he joined NASA. He graduated from the United States Military Academy, after which he joined the United States Air Force and was commissioned to the Chambley-Bussieres Air Base, France. He has been the recipient of numerous honours and decorations including, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, Collier Trophy, the Hubbard Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom among many others. After he retired from NASA, he became Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs in the Department of State. He later established his own consulting business.