Buzz Aldrin is still alive. He was the 2nd human to walk on the moon.

Apollo 11 command-module pilot Michael Collins during training for the first lunar mission in Cape Kennedy, Fla., June 19, 1969.

Wall Street journal

OPINION

COMMENTARY

To the Moon and Back With Michael Collins, 1930-2021

My fellow astronaut was a great pilot, a great friend and a great patriot.

By Buzz Aldrin

April 30, 2021

Finding words is hard. The death at age 90 of Michael Collins, command-module pilot for Apollo 11, is the loss of a friend, an unswerving patriot and an intrepid explorer. Neil Armstrong and I were blessed to have had Mike as our crewmate on America’s first manned mission to the moon’s surface, in July 1969. No one is more responsible for our success—taking us out and bringing us home safely—than Mike.

What Mike gave our nation is hard to express. He was a fearless test pilot, inveterate scholar, cheerful crewmate; he was calm under pressure, self-disciplined, knew every detail of the Columbia command module. He was also a lifelong friend, focused on others and often hardest on himself.

Mike’s book, “Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut’s Journeys” (1974), is detailed and aptly named. A gifted writer, Mike put into words the extraordinariness of our shared experience—his, Neil’s, mine and our nation’s. He focused on the mission, team, nation and journey, less on himself.

Mike was the one who orbited the moon 30 times alone, focused on us, making sure we stayed close. He was the one who, on Gemini 10 in 1966, walked in space and proved orbital rendezvous with another spacecraft, a vital step in America’s eventual moon missions. And Mike was first among friends—gracious, self-deprecating and always quick with a smile.

In a sense, Mike was our engine, the one who “carried the fire” to the moon and back. His mastery of the command module preceded him. The entire astronaut corps revered his dedication. His mastery gave us confidence. Whatever happened on that first mission, Mike would figure out how to get us home. And he did.

After the moon, Mike kept serving. In 1970 he became assistant secretary of state for public affairs, helping America inspire others, lead with grace, spread “peace for all mankind.” The following year he became director of the Air and Space Museum, and in 1978 he earned a promotion to undersecretary of the Smithsonian.

Personally, Mike was a source of peace and cheer, whimsically growing a mustache on our moon mission, which he showcased later, in quarantine, with his hallmark smile. Mike was the best of America, someone who instinctively put himself out for others, a lifetime commitment. He felt no mission was too hard, no challenge beyond trying, and that we should always be ready to serve. He was that example. I will miss my friend. America had no better friend.

Mr. Aldrin is a former astronaut. As part of the Apollo 11 mission, he was one of the first men to walk on the moon.

Appeared in the May 1, 2021, print edition.

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Somebody wrote this comment:

Mr. Aldrin, as an 8 year old kid in the Soviet Union, I remember struggling hard with a short wave radio trying to make out the words of Voice of America over the jamming noise of USSR trying to shut out this miracle of man's achievement and America's greatness from its citizens. My imagination was fired up and I was proud for humankind and in awe of America. I never imagined that I would live here and be adopted by this amazing country.

Thank you and Mr. Collins for inspiring the world. Thank you for your words of good bye to this brave man. You and your fellow astronauts are the very best America has to offer.

-- Yuri Vizitei