pollo 11s third astronaut reveals secrets from dark side of the moon

Apollo, project conducted by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1960s and ’70s that landed the first humans on the Moon.

In May 1961 Pres. John F. Kennedy committed America to landing astronauts on the Moon by 1970. The choice among competing techniques for achieving a Moon landing and return was not resolved until considerable further study. Three methods were considered. In direct ascent, one vehicle would lift off from Earth, land on the Moon, and return. However, the proposed Nova rocket would not be ready by 1970. In Earth orbit rendezvous, a spacecraft carrying the crew would dock in Earth orbit with the propulsion unit that would carry enough fuel to go to the Moon. However, this method required two separate launches.

while the moonwalkers, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, dominate our memories of the moon landing, there’s a third astronaut who deserves his place in history. Michael Collins piloted the Apollo 11 command module spacecraft in lunar orbit while his two colleagues collected moon rocks. In a rare interview he tells Sarah Abo if it wasn’t for him, one of our greatest successes would have been a monumental failure.