What was the feeling of Michael Collins when he was in the plane alone?

Answer 1

Michael Collins, the Irish patriot and martyr, is probably not the Michael Collins that you mean. You are probably referring to the Apollo 11 astronaut who remained in the command module while Aldrin and Armstrong were on the lunar surface. He was quoted in a 2009 Guardian interview as saying that "..he was very worried about Armstrong and Aldrin's safety." However, he was pleased with his role in the mission. In the archives on the official NASA website, Collins responded to a question about being lonesome by himself in the command module with this answer:

"Far from feeling lonely or abandoned, I feel very much a part of what is taking place on the lunar surface. I know that I would be a liar or a fool if I said that I have the best of the three Apollo 11 seats, but I can say with truth and equanimity that I am perfectly satisfied with the one I have. This venture has been structured for three men, and I consider my third to be as necessary as either of the other two. I don't mean to deny a feeling of solitude. It is there, reinforced by the fact that radio contact with the Earth abruptly cuts off at the instant I disappear behind the moon, I am alone now, truly alone, and absolutely isolated from any known life. I am it. If a count were taken, the score would be three billion plus two over on the other side of the moon, and one plus God knows what on this side."