The astronaut often overshadowed in the 1969 moon landing shared his unusual experiences upon returning to Earth after the historic mission.
When people think of the moon landing, they typically recall Neil Armstrong and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin. However, there were other key figures involved in that remarkable event.
Though the Apollo 11 mission is legendary, it’s likely that many are unfamiliar with Michael Collins, despite his crucial role.
Collins, who was the third astronaut alongside Armstrong and Aldrin, passed away in 2021 at the age of 90.
In an interview with 60 Minutes Australia in 2019, Collins shared his experiences of participating in the renowned space mission.
“Did I have the best seat on Apollo 11? No,” he admitted.
Yet, he added: “Was I happy with the seat I did have? Yes – I really was, and to be any small part of that suited me very, very well. And, besides, I was their ticket home – they couldn’t get home without me.”
While his fellow astronauts collected samples on the lunar surface, Collins remained in orbit, enveloped in the darkness of space.
He spoke about the subpar food during the mission, noting that although the environment was ‘not a very comfortable place’, he still found it enjoyable.
Nevertheless, Collins emphasized that the moon paled in comparison to Earth.
Upon their return, the astronauts weren’t immediately welcomed back into familiar comforts.
Collins explained: “We were put into quarantine for two weeks. Some of our scientists were worried about the pathogens that we might have brought back from the moon, they possibly would be dangerous to humankind.”
“So, their solution to that was to put us inside a hermetically sealed container with a gigantic colony of white mice – [if] the white mice lived we were okay, [if the] white mice died we were in deep trouble.”
“Of course, I was checking on them… there were too many of them to give names to but they became my friends.”
Fortunately, the mice survived, and so did the astronauts.