ASTRONAUT MICHAEL COLLINS who participated in the Apollo moon landing mission has died following a battle with cancer.

Collins, flew the command module above the lunar surface in 1969 as his colleagues Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the surface.  His death was announced by his family in a statement released on Collins’ twitter account saying that he had died following a battle with cancer.

Mike always faced the challenges of life with grace and humility, and face this, his final challenge, in the same way.

NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said that America had lost a true pioneer and advocate for exploration.

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.

NASA mourns the loss of this accomplished pilot and astronaut, a friend of all who seek to push the envelope of human potential. Whether his work was behind the scenes or on full view, his legacy will always be as one of the leaders who took America’s first steps into the cosmos and his spirit will go with us as we venture toward farther horizons, later Steve added.