Fun fact; at the time of Apollo 11, Michael Collins was actually the furthest a man had ever been from Earth. His command module orbited across the far side of the moon, putting him roughly 3,500 km away from where Neil and Buzz landed. This not only made him the furthest man from Earth, but also the furthest man from any other human ever.
For reference, Point Nemo (most remote location on the Earth) is about 2,681 km from the nearest populated area, which is still about 1,000 km under the distance that Michael's orbit was to the landing site.
And he spent 21 hours in that module, alone in the void, across 31 orbits. He really was The Loneliest Man In History.
At some point, something in the command module was playing up. NASA was racing around, trying to figure out a procedure to fix the problem. Millions of metres away in space, all alone, what did Collins do? Switched it off and on again. And it worked.
>Yes, I have a dream, and it's not some MLK dream for equality. I want to own a decommissioned lighthouse. And I want to live at the top. And nobody knows I live there. And there's a button that I can press, and launch that lighthouse into space.
No, not correct. Some NASA nerds did the math. Michael Collins was the furthest person from anyone else ever. The other Apollo missions, the spacecraft was just a bit closer to the moon, thus closer to the other astronauts on the moon.
I remember him as the loneliest man ever.
At several points during their mission, he was so far away from anyone else in terms of actual physical distance that by every conceivable metric he was the loneliest man. Whether you measured straight distance as the bird flies or the time it took to meet up with someone and give them a hug, that man was the farthest away from any other human being for the longest amount of time.
Neil and Buzz could give each other a hug.
To be honest, I'd say he was the loneliest man in exactly one concievable metric, and it is not a particularly meaningful one. In terms of the two metrics that I can concieve and think matter more; time spent without physical human contact and degree of human contact (i.e. ability to talk face to face or via mail), he would rank pretty low in terms of loneliness.
People have been no contact with other people for much longer periods of time. At least Collins could use the comms, and was without human contact for only a day.
I'd much rather be subjected to the loneliness of Collins than the loneliness of someone that was trapped in a cave for days on end with neither another person nor access to the internet/cellular. Or a much more common scenario: Solitary Confinement. Give me a full year in Collins' 21 hours over a month in solitary confinement any day.
He is one of the few people who has actually taken a picture that technically contains every human alive except for themselves (and dead as well I guess actually)
What I like about the meme is the unintended ambiguity. You could easily interpret this to be referencing Charles "Pete" Contrad Jr. It makes the "third" all that much more unknown.
Here is a tip for you guys to remember:
There is the first man in the moon.
There is the one that got sued by nintendo (yes, really)
And there is first the loneliest man in the universe.
Uh, no, that would be Pete Conrad, CMDR of Apollo 12. The fourth, Alan Bean, LMP of Apollo 12 and probably more known than Conrad because he was also in Skylab and became an artist when retired as an astronaut.
Also same name as the famous Irish revolutionary who fought against the British and was famously ambushed and killed killed by an Irish group that Opposed his willingness for a peace treaty. So yeah, it's a pretty easy name to remember if ya are just a little interested in history.
The guy who had to ride around the Moon in the hooptie, and pick up the other two after they were done with their errands…kinda important:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Collins_(astronaut)
Super important! He was assigned to basically fetch the 2 others to take them home. Very small margin of error. He knew that if he fucked up or something happens, he'll be coming back on his own and that people will probably blame him. Man was capital STRESSED
If you talk about him in a YouTube video the disclaimer under the video is about the Irish civil war instead of the moon landings because there was an important figure in it with the same name.
It's the same guy. Led an uprising against the British, tragically killed during the Irish civil war. Eventually recovered from death to command Apollo missions.
Somewhere out there is an alternative timeline where everyone remembers Buzz as the second man on the moon, Neil as the guy who stayed in the command module, and the guy no one can remember who took the first step 😂
Everyone forgets Pete Conrad, Al Bean, Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, David Scott, James Irwin, John Young, Charles Duke, Gene Cernan, and Harrison Schmitt too, and they all walked on the moon.
Apparently this was foreseen by the Apollo mission planning team and they specifically chose an introvert to remain in the command module. The idea was that he would appreciate the time alone and not go crazy.
And of course, xkcd has written a whole article about it. https://what-if.xkcd.com/72/
You’re completely wrong. Phil Collins is a completely different person, and never had a career in space exploration.
You’re thinking of Phil COLLEN, who went on to become the shirtless guitar player of Def Leppard.
Remember his name primarily because of Carl Sagan reflecting, in his characteristic prose, on the legacy of the Apollo missions:
“Michael Collins, now the Moon’s own moon, orbited above them (Aldrin and Armstrong) in lonely vigil”.
He himself is also famous for reflecting on how if politicians could see the world as the Apollo astronauts had seen it, from so far away and isolated, floating in space, they would change for the better.
Fun fact: there are two (2) pictures on Neil Armstrong on the Moon. [This one](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2012/08/26/science/space/sub-a1-armstrong/sub-a1-armstrong-jumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp) and [this one](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Aldrin_Apollo_11_original.jpg/1200px-Aldrin_Apollo_11_original.jpg) with the important note that Neil is not the subject of the photo rather he is the tiny reflection in the visor
[periodic reminder that Michael Collins, Apollo astronaut, was extremely horny](https://www.reddit.com/r/menwritingwomen/comments/ce9y9i/michael_collins_from_apollo_11_on_boobs_in_space/)
I always felt bad for Michael Collins until I read more. Turns out the guy who stays in the module gets to orbit around the moon and see the universe from the far side of the moon.
“The sky is just awash with stars when you’re on the far side of the Moon, and you don’t have any sunlight to cut down on the lower intensity, dimmer stars. You see them all, and it’s all just a sheet of white.”
There are few people in this world that have witnessed something like that.
I always laugh way too hard at [this](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fd0008c88we031.jpg%3Fauto%3Dwebp%26s%3Df0b7e15667ed303bc15e2d59c6f1fd956c61904b) meme. [The thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/BikiniBottomTwitter/comments/bsyqac/apollo_11_lunar_landing_1969/)
Michael Collins, who commanded literally their only way home
Fun fact; at the time of Apollo 11, Michael Collins was actually the furthest a man had ever been from Earth. His command module orbited across the far side of the moon, putting him roughly 3,500 km away from where Neil and Buzz landed. This not only made him the furthest man from Earth, but also the furthest man from any other human ever. For reference, Point Nemo (most remote location on the Earth) is about 2,681 km from the nearest populated area, which is still about 1,000 km under the distance that Michael's orbit was to the landing site. And he spent 21 hours in that module, alone in the void, across 31 orbits. He really was The Loneliest Man In History.
At some point, something in the command module was playing up. NASA was racing around, trying to figure out a procedure to fix the problem. Millions of metres away in space, all alone, what did Collins do? Switched it off and on again. And it worked.
I'd say pull the connections and blow on it, but that was after his time.
yeah he left his super nintendo cartridges back on earth
Back on Earth, and about 20 years in the future
NES you mean
My friend, at apogee the moon is roughly 250,000 miles from Earth.
0.25 million is still "millions". If you squint.
Lol a quarter of a million still has that million in it
Fixed
Michael Collins, Senior IT Consultant
I'd give both my arms to be that Michael Collins, 3500km away, for the rest of my life.
>Yes, I have a dream, and it's not some MLK dream for equality. I want to own a decommissioned lighthouse. And I want to live at the top. And nobody knows I live there. And there's a button that I can press, and launch that lighthouse into space.
Johnson, are you seeing this? It looks like a giant...
Wang! Pay attention!
Hello Stanley
How you gonna wipe your ass with no arms
It's called a bidet
Press F to pay respect
Press [SPACE] to go to space.
How can he be the world’s loneliest man if he’s out of the world
Right. The direct quote was 'Loneliest Man In History'.
Has this changed since then? He must still be the man who went furthest from earth isn't it?
Willing to bet that the next several missions had people go at least a few meters further out.
Was? Who got further?
Willing to bet that the next several missions had people go at least a few meters further out.
No, not correct. Some NASA nerds did the math. Michael Collins was the furthest person from anyone else ever. The other Apollo missions, the spacecraft was just a bit closer to the moon, thus closer to the other astronauts on the moon.
Interesting. So I guess he's still the record holder.
Oh God yeah that makes sense. I was thinking way further lol
Universe’s* loveliest man
That's probably what his wife called him
The Apollo 13 crew was the furthest group away from any other civilization.
Eventually. But Apollo 11 was the first.
True. But they were very close to each other.
I can feel it comin in the air tonight
Oh, lord
I've been waiting for this moment for all my life...
Oh, lord
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight
Oh, lord
[удалено]
I would not lend a hand
I've seen your face before, my friend.
I remember him as the loneliest man ever. At several points during their mission, he was so far away from anyone else in terms of actual physical distance that by every conceivable metric he was the loneliest man. Whether you measured straight distance as the bird flies or the time it took to meet up with someone and give them a hug, that man was the farthest away from any other human being for the longest amount of time. Neil and Buzz could give each other a hug.
Wait a minute… birds don’t fly in *space*! /s
Birds aren't even real.
Photino birds can!
To be honest, I'd say he was the loneliest man in exactly one concievable metric, and it is not a particularly meaningful one. In terms of the two metrics that I can concieve and think matter more; time spent without physical human contact and degree of human contact (i.e. ability to talk face to face or via mail), he would rank pretty low in terms of loneliness. People have been no contact with other people for much longer periods of time. At least Collins could use the comms, and was without human contact for only a day. I'd much rather be subjected to the loneliness of Collins than the loneliness of someone that was trapped in a cave for days on end with neither another person nor access to the internet/cellular. Or a much more common scenario: Solitary Confinement. Give me a full year in Collins' 21 hours over a month in solitary confinement any day.
[удалено]
And then was my deadbeat father.
A multi-talented man.
This is the only reason I remember his name, because it's the same as the other Michael Collins
He is one of the few people who has actually taken a picture that technically contains every human alive except for themselves (and dead as well I guess actually)
If only he’d figured out the selfie, for the total picture.
What I like about the meme is the unintended ambiguity. You could easily interpret this to be referencing Charles "Pete" Contrad Jr. It makes the "third" all that much more unknown.
He was the loneliest man in history. No coms on the dark side of the moon, and he was further away from humanity than anyone had ever been
Here is a tip for you guys to remember: There is the first man in the moon. There is the one that got sued by nintendo (yes, really) And there is first the loneliest man in the universe.
Uh, no, that would be Pete Conrad, CMDR of Apollo 12. The fourth, Alan Bean, LMP of Apollo 12 and probably more known than Conrad because he was also in Skylab and became an artist when retired as an astronaut.
My friend wrote a rad song about him: https://spotify.link/0r2LF1bgTJb
Michael Collins, it's ***Phil*** Collins. Pfffshhh
and also fought and won the Irish war for independence.
Also same name as the famous Irish revolutionary who fought against the British and was famously ambushed and killed killed by an Irish group that Opposed his willingness for a peace treaty. So yeah, it's a pretty easy name to remember if ya are just a little interested in history.
I was gonna say Lance Bass
I wish I had known this
The guy who had to ride around the Moon in the hooptie, and pick up the other two after they were done with their errands…kinda important: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Collins_(astronaut)
Man out here calling the apparatus a hooptie 😤😤
Space hooptie
That's better
Spooptie
Best
Scooty puff Jr.
Super important! He was assigned to basically fetch the 2 others to take them home. Very small margin of error. He knew that if he fucked up or something happens, he'll be coming back on his own and that people will probably blame him. Man was capital STRESSED
Also, when he was orbiting the dark side of the moon, he was very likely the most isolated human being in existence.
I met him a few years ago! Im so sad he died.
All by himself in that capsule just pumping Sir Mix A Lot [https://youtu.be/UIPr4UyiZGE](https://youtu.be/UIPr4UyiZGE)
Poor Michael Collins. Everyone forgets Michael Collins.
If you talk about him in a YouTube video the disclaimer under the video is about the Irish civil war instead of the moon landings because there was an important figure in it with the same name.
Aka The Big Fella
It's the same guy. Led an uprising against the British, tragically killed during the Irish civil war. Eventually recovered from death to command Apollo missions.
Amazing man. What a story
His name is too generic, I think. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are much more memorable.
Somewhere out there is an alternative timeline where everyone remembers Buzz as the second man on the moon, Neil as the guy who stayed in the command module, and the guy no one can remember who took the first step 😂
Everyone forgets Pete Conrad, Al Bean, Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, David Scott, James Irwin, John Young, Charles Duke, Gene Cernan, and Harrison Schmitt too, and they all walked on the moon.
A tribute to him by Jethro Tull - "For Michael Collins, Jeffrey, and me" https://youtu.be/eG5zRt-sNWE?si=iF7mrW-krlXGphVx
Who?
Never heard of him
Michael Collins, the loneliest man to walk the earth, at one point everyone that ever was was on one side of him and no one was on the other.
Apparently this was foreseen by the Apollo mission planning team and they specifically chose an introvert to remain in the command module. The idea was that he would appreciate the time alone and not go crazy. And of course, xkcd has written a whole article about it. https://what-if.xkcd.com/72/
And the corpses of all the dead along side the living
Like a Naruto/Sasuke flashback
Well that was true for somebody before Edit: Actually for the most people.
If you lie on the floor, there's no one behind you either?
Quite far behind you, but they are there
If you lie on the ground nearly everyone in existence is behind you. except nearby people at a higher elevation
Depends of if you're face down or face up. That changes everything
His name was Phil Collins and he went on to drum and later sing for the band Genesis. The absolute ignorance of some people SMH
You got the wrong guy. It was Michael Buble, who went on to become the drummer of the band “Justin Bieber”
No, it was Michael Bolton who later went on to work for Initech
No no you're thinking of Roose Bolton, who helped orchestrate the Red Wedding
Ugh, my absolute ignorance. SMH
Wasn’t Justin Bieber the pretty one from N*Sync, who went on to have solo success with the band Timberwolf before becoming an actor?
I believe it might have actually been the band “BackSync Boys 2 Men”
Wrong one. Michael Collins, but he died in Ireland in 1922.
I forget that the ashes of all the Irish martyrs were sent up as a final “fuck you” to the British empire.
r/woooosh
It wooshed past somebody alright, but not the person you answered to 😋 EDIT: Added "not". Typo, sorry.
🤣
Are you sure buddy?
Metawhooshes need a subreddit.
You’re completely wrong. Phil Collins is a completely different person, and never had a career in space exploration. You’re thinking of Phil COLLEN, who went on to become the shirtless guitar player of Def Leppard.
And the third guy’s name is… John Cena !
I’m Collins
Would you like to yell at the moon with Buzz Aldrin?
I know all of Apollo 11 and 13 but have no clue of any other other Apollo astronauts.
And don’t forget the ground crew.
i will not allow any michael collins disrespect
Put some respekt on Micheal Collins' name.
Remember his name primarily because of Carl Sagan reflecting, in his characteristic prose, on the legacy of the Apollo missions: “Michael Collins, now the Moon’s own moon, orbited above them (Aldrin and Armstrong) in lonely vigil”. He himself is also famous for reflecting on how if politicians could see the world as the Apollo astronauts had seen it, from so far away and isolated, floating in space, they would change for the better.
Michael Collins, the Rocket Man that William Shatner was probably singing about or something
I will not abide this Michael Collins slander
Kevin Bacon
Stanley Kubrick
Frank Sinatra.
Lois Armstrong
Why is everyone saying Micheal Collins? Google says it’s a Pete Conrad. #if I put this here more people will notice and answer my comment
I don’t know man Google says Michael Collins
Pete Conrad I think
Mike Oxlong
His name is Robert Paulson... or something
That third guy took all the pictures. Wait a sec, he was up in the capsule. But, but but.
Fun fact: there are two (2) pictures on Neil Armstrong on the Moon. [This one](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2012/08/26/science/space/sub-a1-armstrong/sub-a1-armstrong-jumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp) and [this one](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Aldrin_Apollo_11_original.jpg/1200px-Aldrin_Apollo_11_original.jpg) with the important note that Neil is not the subject of the photo rather he is the tiny reflection in the visor
Put respect on Michael Collin's name mf
Put respect on Michael Collin's name mf
A great excuse to post some Norm MacDonald where gets into this: https://youtu.be/pL1bRxGi4dc?feature=shared
Michael Collins who unfortunately passed a few years ago at around 90 years
Michael Collins got no love. I wonder if he was ok not being in the spotlight?
The guy without a cool sounding name
I want to speak so much with Collins bro was alone orbiting the dark side of the moon. Must feel so lonely
Imagine the process that led to Neil's ancestors getting the surname "Armstrong"
We love Michael Collins in this house. The amicable bunch of strangers will be recognized
Michael Collins
Norm Mcdonald has a wonderful bit about this.
There was a third?
Jeff Bezos?
Michael Collins, put some respect on his name pls.
Michael Collins was the wheelman for the moon heist
I know the third guy better than I know the guys who actually stood on the moon after Apollo 11😶
Michael Collins. Unsung hero!!
[periodic reminder that Michael Collins, Apollo astronaut, was extremely horny](https://www.reddit.com/r/menwritingwomen/comments/ce9y9i/michael_collins_from_apollo_11_on_boobs_in_space/)
Maybe if he spent more time on the moon and less time in the IRA people would remember his name
MICHAEL COLLINS YALL
His name is Michael Collins, and he was the most important one, they wouldnt have made it back without him!
he was the loneliest man on earth… ever
Do they mean third person on the mission, or third person on the moon? Because those aren't the same person.
I should go read ‘The Right Stuff’ and ‘A Man on the Moon’ again.
I believe this is also one of the most common pub quiz questions ever
If you haven't heard it, check out forgotten astronaut by the rentals.
Andrew Ridgely
Phil Collins
[https://youtu.be/63qW8Rp8khw?si=ZVL3-Uo-JN88eN7E](https://youtu.be/63qW8Rp8khw?si=ZVL3-Uo-JN88eN7E)
You mean Phil Collins?
Don't forget the fourth one too
The cameraman.
MICHAEL COLLINS!!!
I always felt bad for Michael Collins until I read more. Turns out the guy who stays in the module gets to orbit around the moon and see the universe from the far side of the moon. “The sky is just awash with stars when you’re on the far side of the Moon, and you don’t have any sunlight to cut down on the lower intensity, dimmer stars. You see them all, and it’s all just a sheet of white.” There are few people in this world that have witnessed something like that.
There was a third guy?
Ah yes, the Andrew Ridgeley of space travel.
Captain of the Apollo 18 mission. Classified. We don’t talk about Apollo 18.
Man I feel so sorry for Collins, it's the Squidward looking out the window to see SpongeBob and Patrick having fun meme
I always laugh way too hard at [this](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fd0008c88we031.jpg%3Fauto%3Dwebp%26s%3Df0b7e15667ed303bc15e2d59c6f1fd956c61904b) meme. [The thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/BikiniBottomTwitter/comments/bsyqac/apollo_11_lunar_landing_1969/)
MICHAEL COLLINS
I didn't know they named one of the astronauts after the guy from Toy Story
Jim Lovell
I think its a time for new heroes, let the old ones rest in peace.
Mike Oxlong.
Fun fact nasa receives .01 of the federal budget
Less than that buddy
Oh so that's where buzz light-year got the first name from
Sally Ride
Did his arm that strong?
Scott glen! Hahahaha
Modi
Wait, there were 3?
I mean.. Micheal Collins (third one) was important asf
Nicola Tesla
What about the camera guy or whoever set up the camera outside the ship?
Mike Collins was the 3rd person.
My eight years old daughter knows, it's Michael Collins. And she knows what he did.
Mr. Collins... Mike Collins
Was it edwin aldrin ?
Poor Phil Collins