# Michael Collins has died **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 28, 2021, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962 "2021-04-28T17:28:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/21 "2021-04-29T12:00:07Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > xkcd’s respectful but whimsical take from a few years ago on “loneliest human”: **[Loneliest Human](https://what-if.xkcd.com/72/)** > > IMO most distant and loneliest are two very different ideas. Maybe most solitudinous? Speaking of XKCD, here’s his statistical projection of survivorship among Apollo astronauts who actually walked on the moon: > **[65 Years](https://xkcd.com/893/)** > > The universe is probably littered with the one-planet graves of cultures which made the sensible economic decision that there's no good reason to go into space--each discovered, studied, and remembered by the ones who made the irrational decision. And here’s the full list of Apollo astronauts who have walked on the moon, with dates of death where applicable: > **[List of Apollo astronauts | Apollo astronauts who walked on the Moon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Apollo_astronauts#Apollo_astronauts_who_walked_on_the_Moon)** > > Twelve men walked on the Moon during six Moon landings of the Apollo program between July 1969 and December 1972. All landed on the surface only once, and five missions consisted of two or more surface extravehicular activities (EVAs). Four of them are alive as of January 2024\[update\] with an average age of 90 > years. Most astronauts at that time came from the military services and were considered to be on active duty during their NASA service. The few exceptions were considered civilian NASA astr... Currently at four still alive, compared to XKCD’s prediction of three. Sadly on track. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/22 "2021-04-29T13:22:54Z")
one reason Armstrong was picked for the mission was he almost crashed in a test rocket and he recovered to land safely. NASA folks saw the problem and assumed there was very little chance of landing safely. Also he was no longer in the military on Apollo 11 , he was a Navy vet. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/23 "2021-04-29T13:43:50Z")
From what I’ve read it was just being in the right place in the rotation. The flight order of the crews were already picked (mostly by just two men, Slayton and Shepherd) before they knew how many flights would be made before the first attempted landing. The health of other astronauts could also affect the order. If Frank Borman had caught a cold the previous December, Armstrong would have had to settle for the first lunar orbital flight. So would Collins, if he hadn’t suffered a herniated disc the previous summer. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/24 "2021-04-29T14:32:54Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Speaking of XKCD, here’s his statistical projection of survivorship among Apollo astronauts who actually walked on the moon: I immediately thought of that episode also. Thanks for hunting it up. if I count the stairsteps correctly, the 5 → 4 survivors transition was “due” in 2019 +/- ~3 years. So we’re running slightly late = to the good. Nevertheless the countdown to zero continues with not much fuze left to burn. That so far we’re tracking ordinary public actuarial tables so well despite their radiation exposure says a) they were a very healthy set of specimens to begin with, and b) the rad impact is not as horrific as was perhaps feared at the time. Although IIRC every mission was lucky WRT solar flares and such. That luck can be true for short missions like Apollo, but can’t be true for long-duration ones. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/25 "2021-04-29T14:43:14Z")
Another inspirational figure gone. Someone had to stay in the ship. They always asked him about walking on the moon, but never about being the only orbiter. Right stuff indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/26 "2021-04-29T14:53:28Z")
He was my favorite astronaut. Not only was his attitude stellar–as pointed out by many of you–he seemed, in many ways, “too funny for NASA.” I mean this as a joke. I find his light-hearted commentary a breath of fresh air, when so many around him (administrators, other astronauts) were so…“heavy, man.” (His words, from “Carrying the Fire.”) ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/27 "2021-04-29T15:07:32Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > It must have been difficult to go all the way to the moon and not set foot on it. His job was difficult and uncelebrated. But he got extra flight time that his crew mates didn’t! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/28 "2021-04-29T15:21:28Z")
And he even (along with his shipmates) got a mineral named after him!: > **[Armalcolite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armalcolite)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > Armalcolite (/ˌɑːrˈmɑːlkəlaɪt/) is a titanium-rich mineral with the chemical formula (Mg,Fe2+)Ti2O5. It was first found at Tranquility Base on the Moon in 1969 during the Apollo 11 mission, and is named for Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, the three Apollo 11 astronauts. Together with tranquillityite and pyroxferroite, it is one of three new minerals that were discovered on the Moon. Armalcolite was later identified at various locations on Earth and... ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/29 "2021-04-29T16:18:03Z")
It’s really chilling to watch it. [Watch This Incredibly Convincing Deepfake of Richard Nixon | NowThis - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rkQn-43ixs) ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/30 "2021-04-29T17:30:32Z")
Not appearing in this photo: Michael Collins [![](https://i.imgur.com/NYi8Hgj.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/NYi8Hgj.jpg) Brian ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/31 "2021-04-29T20:04:58Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > The Byrds didn’t forget him in their tribute to the Apollo 11 mission, “Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins”: Neither did Jethro Tull in “For Michael Collins, Jeffery, & Me” ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/32 "2021-04-29T23:29:20Z")
“The loneliest man in the world”… Except for the Maytag repairman. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/33 "2021-04-30T19:08:02Z")
A lovely little 2019 interview with Collins, including some stuff I hadn’t heard before: > **[For Apollo 11 He Wasn’t on the Moon. But His Coffee Was Warm. (Published 2019)](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/16/science/michael-collins-apollo-11.html)** > > Michael Collins kept an orbital vigil during Neil’s and Buzz’s moonwalk, but he really didn’t feel that lonely. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2021, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/34 "2021-05-12T01:11:09Z")
To make it more explicit, on Facebook someone captioned this picture, “Every human whoever lived is in the frame of this image, except Michael Collins.” ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2021, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/35 "2021-05-12T02:12:41Z")
I hope at least one of those 12 men is still alive when we do it again, whether it’s NASA, Elon Musk, or some other entity that sends them there. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2021, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/36 "2021-05-12T05:51:00Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > A lovely little 2019 interview with Collins, including some stuff I hadn’t heard before: > [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/16/science/michael-collins-apollo-11.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/16/science/michael-collins-apollo-11.html) That was a good article, thank you for that. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2021, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/37 "2021-05-12T13:28:42Z")
🙂 “I’m with you, LEM”…though, between the composing of the song and its release, NASA had shortened the acronym to just “LM” (lunar module, sans “excursion.”) ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2021, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/38 "2021-05-12T19:16:47Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > To make it more explicit, on Facebook someone captioned this picture, “Every human whoever lived is in the frame of this image, except Michael Collins.” I was born after this picture was taken. How am I in the picture? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2021, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/39 "2021-05-12T19:58:49Z")
You have to look very, _very_ carefully. Maybe squinting would help…? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2021, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962/40 "2021-05-12T23:17:04Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > > [@commasense](#): > > > > To make it more explicit, on Facebook someone captioned this picture, “Every human whoever lived is in the frame of this image, except Michael Collins.” > > I was born after this picture was taken. How am I in the picture? That thought-provoking statement was first made and well-publicized back when the pic was fresh and I was a kid. The goof who repeated it last month is a goof. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-collins-has-died/940962.md?page=3)