He Won't Be "Lonely", Any Longer -- Travel Well, And Travel Light, Commander Collins!

His multi-day solo flight duty, keeping the command module circling the moon -- while others were below, walking on it for the first time in human history. . . earned him the title of "the loneliest man in history".

Now he is freed from his aged, and slowly failing 90 year old body, and (according to my belief system, anyway) flying free -- across the entire universe. He's seeing what the others before him were freed to see as well -- now that he has shed that shell he was confined inside, these last 20 or so years. This, from NASA's own front page, this afternoon:

. . .Former NASA astronaut Michael Collins, who flew aboard Gemini 10 and served as command module pilot for Apollo 11, passed away on April 28, 2021.

“Today the nation lost a true pioneer and lifelong advocate for exploration in astronaut Michael Collins," said acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk. "As pilot of the Apollo 11 command module – some called him ‘the loneliest man in history’ – while his colleagues walked on the Moon for the first time, he helped our nation achieve a defining milestone. He also distinguished himself in the Gemini Program and as an Air Force pilot.

“Michael remained a tireless promoter of space. ‘Exploration is not a choice, really, it’s an imperative,’ he said. Intensely thoughtful about his experience in orbit, he added, ‘What would be worth recording is what kind of civilization we Earthlings created and whether or not we ventured out into other parts of the galaxy. . . .’"

It is hard to feel unduly sad (even though he will be terribly missed by his loved ones) about the idea of a life-long explorer -- and adventurer -- being set loose to explore without the limits of an aging body and mind. So, I am smiling, with my eyes tilted up -- into the evening skies now. . . .

नमस्ते