Jeter Publishing presents the second nonfiction biography in a
brand-new series that celebrates men and women who altered the course of
history often without recognition.
On July 16, 1969, a Gemini rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center
in Florida. Previous launches had focused on getting astronauts into
space, docking two spacecraft, and even walking in space, but this
mission was different. Apollo 11 was designed to land two astronauts on
the moon and then bring them back to Earth. Four days later, two
astronauts, Neal Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, did walk on the moon. But
did you know that there were actually three astronauts aboard the rocket
on July 16? Michael Collins didn't get to walk on the Moon, but his
contribution is just as important as Armstrong and Aldrin's.
Prior to joining NASA, Collins was in the Air Force and flew fighter
jets. After joining NASA, he made two trips into space, performing one
of the first EVAs or Extravehicular activities (in other words, walking
in space) as well as making that trip to the moon.
Collins continued to contribute even after leaving the space program. He
took a job in the State Department and even served as director of the
National Air & Space Museum and as undersecretary of the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington, DC.
He may not have walked on the moon, but he's one of only twenty-four
people to travel there. In fact, without Michael Collins, that first
moon landing might never have happened.