Obituary | The third man

Michael Collins died on April 28th

The pilot of the command module for the Moon landing was 90

THE MOON that filled the window of the spacecraft Columbia was not one Michael Collins had ever seen before. It was absolutely three-dimensional, its belly bulging out towards him. Cascading sunlight formed a halo round it. The lighter parts were a lot lighter than usual, the jagged mountains darker. It was electrifying. Then the feeling passed. “Hello Moon!” he quipped. “How’s the old backside?”

This article appeared in the Obituary section of the print edition under the headline “The third man”

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