Major General Michael Collins, Sr

1930 - 2021  (90 years)

• Name	Michael Collins
  Title	Major General
  Suffix	Sr
  Birth	31 Oct 1930	Rome, Lazio, Italy
  Gender	Male
  Military Service	U.S. Air Force
  	He graduated from West Point. He was accepted into the test pilot program in 1960.
  Occupation	18 Jul 1966
  	Pilot on the Gemini X mission. He was outside of the spacecraft twice. For the first he stood in the open hatch for 49 minutes taking photographs. For the second he spent 39 minutes on the end of a tether. Part of the mission was to rendezvous twice with unmanned target vehicles. The first was with a vehicle left in orbit after the Gemini VIII mission. The second vehicle was used for propulsion, taking the Gemini capsule to reach a new, record altitude of 444 nautical miles. This proved that radiation fears were unfounded. These actions were critical to the future Apollo program.
  		Gemini 10 Flight Plan. Gemini 10 Flight Plan.
  		Gemini 10 Patch. Gemini 10 Patch.
  		Gemini 10 Crew. Astronauts John Young and Michael Collins.
  		Michael Collins Michael Collins training for the missions required spacewalks.
  		Michael Collins Michael Collins seated in the Gemini capsule pre-launch.
  		Gemini 10 Launch. Gemini 10 Launch.
  		Gemini 10 Time lapse. Time lapse photo of the withdrawal of the launch tower and the launch of Gemini x.
  		Agena 10 Target Vehicle. Agena 10 Target Vehicle atop a Atlas rocket being prepared for launch.
  		Agena 10. The Agena 10 target vehicle as seen from the approaching Gemini capsule.
  		Gemini 10 Splashdown. Gemini 10 Splashdown.
  		Gemini 10 Recovery. Astronaut John Young being hoisted aboard the recovery helicopter.
  Occupation	16 Jul 1969
  	Apollo XI was the first mission to land men on the moon. Michael was the pilot. He remained on the command module while the other astronauts too the lunar lander to the surface of the moon.
  		Apollo 11 Patch. Apollo 11 Patch.
  		Command Service Module. NASA workers ready to mount the Apollo 11 Command Service Module to the adapter that will allow it to be attached to the Saturn V booster.
  		Apollo 11 Liftoff. Apollo 11 Liftoff.
  		Apollo 11 Liftoff. Apollo 11 Liftoff.
  		Apollo 11 Liftoff 4. Apollo 11 Liftoff 4.
  		Apollo 11 Liftoff 3. Apollo 11 Liftoff 3.
  		Apollo 11 Lander. The Apollo 11 lunar lander in space as seen from the command module shortly after it was released.
  		Apollo 11 Command Module As Seen By The Returning Astronauts. Apollo 11 Command Module As Seen By The Returning Astronauts.
  		Apollo 11 Splashdown. Navy personnel ready to help the astronauts out of their capsule. Note the suits and respirators being worn to protect from the unknown.
  		Apollo 11 Quarantine. president Richard Nixon greets the Apollo 11 astronauts as they wait out their quarantine.
  		The Apollo 11 Wives. The wives of the Apollo 11 crew welcome their husbands home while they are still in quarantine.
  		Chicago welcomes the Apollo 11 astronauts. The returning astronauts received ticker tape parades in several major cities.
  		Michael Collins and President Trump. Michael Collins meeting President Trump in 2019 on the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo program.
  Death	28 Apr 2021	Naples, Collier, Florida
  Burial	30 Jan 2023	Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington, Virginia, United States
  		Michael Collins funeral procession. Michael Collins funeral procession, Arlington National Cemetery.
  Person ID	I67494	Nagel
  Last Modified	27 Jan 2026

  
  

  Father	Major General James Lawton Collins,   b. 10 Dec 1882, Algiers, Orleans, Louisiana d. 30 Jun 1963, Washington, District of Columbia (Age 80 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Mother	Virginia Caroline Stewart,   b. 9 Oct 1895, Morris County, New Jersey d. 3 Nov 1986, Washington, District of Columbia (Age 91 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Marriage	1 Dec 1915	El Paso, El Paso, Texas
  Family ID	F21337	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Patricia Mary Finnegan   d. Apr 2014
  Children	1. Kate Collins  [Father: Birth]  [Mother: Birth]   2. Ann Collins  [Father: Birth]  [Mother: Birth]   3. Michael Collins, Jr  [Father: Birth]  [Mother: Birth]
  Family ID	F21338	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	8 Sep 2025

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 31 Oct 1930 - Rome, Lazio, Italy Death - 28 Apr 2021 - Naples, Collier, Florida Burial - 30 Jan 2023 - Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington, Virginia, United States  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos		Michael Collins. Michael Collins.
  		Michael Collins He was on Gemini X. He performed two space walks, spending 1 hour and 28 minutes outside of the spacecraft. He served as the command module pilot on Apollo 11, orbiting the moon while the other crew members landed on the moon. He likely would have been part of the Apollo 14 crew , but he chose to retire from spaceflight citing stress on his family life. He served as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs under President Nixon and after that became the director of the National Air and Space Museum.