Michael Collins, astronaut of 1969 Apollo 11 dies at 90

April 30: Michael Collins – one of the three crew members of the first manned mission to land on the Moon, Apollo 11 in 1969 – has died at the age of 90 on Wednesday. His family revealed that Collins died of cancer. Collins stayed in lunar orbit as his colleagues Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon.  Aldrin, 91, is now the only surviving member of the mission.

As the command module pilot, Collins stayed in lunar orbit while Neil and Buzz bounded across the surface. But he performed crucial manoeuvres in space that were needed to get to the Moon. After leaving Nasa, he had a brief spell in politics, but later retired to Florida, where he painted and wrote.