Title: The Passing of Michael Collins, the "Forgotten" Astronaut of the First Moon Landing Mission

American astronaut Michael Collins, aged 90, passed away today, Wednesday, after battling cancer. He remained in the command module of the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969, while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the Moon. Collins's family stated he died from cancer. Often described as the "forgotten" third astronaut of the historic mission, Collins was alone for more than 21 hours until his crewmates returned from the lunar module. He lost contact with the Houston control center every time the spacecraft orbited around the dark side of the Moon. The mission log noted, "No human has known isolation like Mike Collins since Adam." Collins wrote about his experience in his autobiography in 1974 but largely avoided public appearances. In comments published by NASA in 2009, he stated, "I know I would be lying or a fool to say I had the best seat among the three on Apollo 11, but I can honestly and equably say I am completely satisfied with the role I played." Collins was born in Rome on October 31, 1930, the same year as Armstrong—who passed away in 2012—and Aldrin, who honored him in a tweet.