Collins in Columbia

The words

1. Collins

   Michael Collins remained in Columbia while Armstrong and Aldrin explored the Moon. He photographed the surface, relayed communications and later docked with Eagle to reunite the crew.

   Smithsonian: Collins’s work in orbit (opens a new tab) · Smithsonian: Collins alone in Columbia (opens a new tab)

2. Colossus

   Colossus was Columbia’s guidance-computer software. It supported navigation and other flight tasks in the command module, while Eagle carried the separate Luminary software for its own work.

   Did you know?

   The software names followed the spacecraft initials: Colossus began with C for command module, while Luminary began with L for lunar module.

   Tomayko: Apollo’s software names (opens a new tab) · Orloff: Apollo 11’s computer programs (opens a new tab)

3. Columbia

   Columbia’s command module carried all three astronauts back through Earth’s atmosphere. During the lunar journey it stayed attached to a service module that provided propulsion, power and other support.

   NSSDCA: Columbia and its service module (opens a new tab)

4. Far Side

   As Columbia passed behind the Moon, the lunar body blocked its direct radio link with Earth. Contact returned when the spacecraft came around to the side facing the ground stations.

   Smithsonian: Collins alone in Columbia (opens a new tab)

5. Flying Machine

   After Eagle separated from Columbia, Collins admired it as a fine-looking flying machine. He also noted that Eagle was upside down relative to his view from the command module.

   Did you know?

   Armstrong answered that somebody was upside down. The two pilots were looking at each other’s spacecraft from different orientations above the Moon.

   NASA: Eagle seen from Columbia (opens a new tab)

6. Hallelujah

   When Houston reported that the moonwalkers were back inside Eagle and the cabin was pressurized, Collins responded with a single word: “Hallelujah.” He then resumed work with Mission Control.

   NASA transcript: Collins on the radio (opens a new tab)

7. Hard Dock

   A firm, latched connection between two spacecraft.

   After Eagle returned to lunar orbit, docking joined the two spacecraft firmly. The connection let Armstrong and Aldrin transfer back to Columbia with the samples they had collected on the Moon.

   NASA mission report, p. 26 · NASA report: Collins’s solo work (opens a new tab)

8. KAMP

   Kate, Ann, Michael and Patricia: Collins’s three children and wife.

   Collins chose a bright crater in the Foaming Sea as a navigation landmark. He informally named it KAMP; it was a working nickname rather than an official lunar name.

   Flight Journal: the KAMP landmark (opens a new tab)

9. Landmark

   Collins took timed sightings of chosen lunar craters. The measurements helped establish Columbia’s position and motion in orbit, giving the crew and Mission Control another check on navigation.

   NASA mission report, p. 18 · NASA report: Collins’s solo work (opens a new tab)

10. Orbiting Base

    After the landing, Collins congratulated the crew from orbit. Armstrong asked him to keep Columbia ready as their “orbiting base,” the place they would return before heading home.

    NASA transcript: Collins on the radio (opens a new tab)

11. Photography

    Collins photographed the lunar surface from Columbia while his crewmates worked below. His pictures added an orbital view to the photographs Armstrong and Aldrin took around the landing site.

    Smithsonian: Collins’s work in orbit (opens a new tab)

12. Service Module

    The service module carried Columbia’s main engine, fuel cells and oxygen supplies. It stayed attached through the lunar journey and separated before the command module returned through Earth’s atmosphere.

    NSSDCA: Columbia and its service module (opens a new tab)

13. Sextant

    An optical instrument for measuring angles between objects.

    Collins used Columbia’s sextant to track landmarks and search for Eagle on the ground. He never spotted the landed module, though the instrument could detect it in flight.

    NASA mission report, pp. 20–21 · NASA report: Collins’s solo work (opens a new tab)

14. Solitude

    Collins was physically alone in Columbia while Armstrong and Aldrin explored the surface. His radio links brought news from below, except when the Moon itself blocked the signals.

    Smithsonian: Collins alone in Columbia (opens a new tab) · NASA transcript: Collins on the radio (opens a new tab)

15. Solo Book

    Collins gathered the documents for his time alone into one Solo Book. It combined flight-plan material, rendezvous instructions, updates and emergency checklists so he could work from a single volume.

    Did you know?

    The book was usually secured to a clip on Collins’s helmet tie-down strap. That kept his working pages within reach in the weightless cabin.

    NASA mission report, pp. 20–21 · NASA report: Collins’s solo work (opens a new tab)