Hello and welcome to 6 Minute
English from BBC Learning
English. I'm Neil.
And I'm Georgina.
In this programme, we're
going to be talking about
the astronaut who piloted the
command module to take Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
to walk on the Moon.
Michael Collins, who sadly passed
away in 2021 at the age of 90, has
been described as 'the loneliest
man in history'.
Yes, while Armstrong
delivered his famous quote
when taking the first steps on the lunar
surface, and Buzz followed soon
after, Collins was left behind
to circle the Moon, tasked with
the huge responsibility of getting
the three pioneers - the first
people to do something -
back to Earth. That's right.
And many people over the
years have wondered whether
he was disappointed not to
have walked on the Moon.
How would you feel if you
went all that way and didn't
stand on the Moon, Georgina?
Me personally - I'd probably be
pretty devastated - but I think it
depends on personality. To be
honest, I'd probably be too
scared to go to the
Moon anyway.
Yes - and just think about
being in a space module
together - trapped for all those
hours - it could create quite
the sense of camaraderie - a
friendship and trust formed
by spending time together.
Or you could drive each
other crazy asking questions!
Which is what I'm going to do
now, Georgina. I know how
much you love animals - and
the first animal that went
into space was a Russian
dog in 1957, but what
was that dog's name? a) Irina, b) Laika or
c) Anastasia?
Well, I think I know this
one - b) Laika - and I believe,
sadly, she didn't survive.
OK, Georgina, we'll find out if
that's right at the end of the
programme. But let's talk
more about Michael Collins
and that famous trip to the
Moon that captured people's
attention around the world.
Yes - I think one thing that
has always interested me is
the feeling of friendship, or
as you said camaraderie, that
must have developed between
those three explorers.
But, perhaps surprisingly, in
an interview with the BBC
programme Hard Talk, Collins
said the close connection
between the astronauts
didn't develop until later.
We formed some very strong
bonds, but actually, not really
during the flight of Apollo 11
or even during the preparatory
flight of the flight. It was a
round-the-world trip that
we took after the flight.
When I came to know Neil
better. During our training,
in the first place we had not
been a backup as most
primary crews had been,
so we just got to know
each other in the 6 months
before the flight, which
is a short period of time.
So, it wasn't really until
afterwards that they
formed those strong bonds -
the connections between
them, until on a trip round
the world to talk about
their experiences.
Six months sounds like
a long time, but I suppose
when preparing to become
famous and go down in
history, as they did - it
doesn't leave much time
for personal interactions.
One of the sad things to
take away is that everyone
remembers Armstrong and
Aldrin, but sometimes
Collins is seen as
the forgotten man.
Yes - and he did say in
the interview that he would
have loved to walk on the
Moon, but he was very
proud to be a part of
the team - as he was
one of the trailblazers -
a similar word to pioneer.
They most certainly were
trailblazers. But imagine how
he must have felt - circling
around Moon, all alone!
Yes, a lot of people
questioned Collins afterwards
regarding the solitude, about
which he had this to say in
the same interview with
BBC programme Hard Talk:
Well, I... when I returned
to Earth, I was amazed
because most of the
questions to me from the
press centred on: You were the
loneliest man in the whole
lonely orbit around the lonely
planet on a lonely evening.
And I felt, on the other hand,
quite comfortable in my happy
little home inside the command
module Columbia. I had been
flying aeroplanes by myself
for a number of years. So, the
fact I was aloft by myself
was not anything new.
So, it sounds like he
appreciated the peace and
quiet and he felt used to it
having been alone on flights.
Yes - while people talk about
the two who walked on the
Moon, he must have
experienced an incredible
sense of peace while on the
dark side of the Moon - the
first person ever to go there.
But now, Georgina, let's get the
answer to my question: What
was the name of the first
animal, a dog, to
go into space?
I said Laika.
Which is correct, well done!
And you were right when you
said that she sadly didn't
survive the return to Earth.
Well, speaking of dogs,
I need to feed mine soon -
so let's just recap
some of the vocabulary
we've discussed.
Yes, we had camaraderie -
a sense of trust and
friendship after spending a
long time together, and the
creation of strong bonds
or connections.
And if you're the first person
to do something, you could
be called a pioneer.
Or even a trailblazer which
means the same thing.
And if you are the first
person to do something, you
could become famous
and go down in history.
And finally we spoke about
the solitude, or state of being
alone, that Collins
must have experienced.
Well, we're out of time for
today. We have plenty more
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Bye for now.
Goodbye.