Stylised illustration of Michael Collins, Apollo 11 command module pilot. US astronaut Michael Collins (born 1930) took part in two space missions. He was a military pilot and test pilot, joining NASA's Astronaut Corps in 1962. His first spaceflight was on Gemini 10 (1966). Three years later, he was part of the historic Apollo 11 mission. He stayed in lunar orbit in the command module, while his fellow crew members Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon on 20 July 1969.