BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Friday will honor a fallen astronaut and pioneer.
Astronaut Michael Collins, who died after a battle with cancer on Wednesday, will be honored at a remembrance ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. outside Heroes and Legends.
Robert Cabana, director of the Kennedy Space Center, and Therrin Protze, chief operating officer of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, are both set to speak.
Collins joined NASA in 1963 and flew on two missions: Gemini X in 1966 and the famous Apollo 11 mission alongside Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong in 1969.
READ: Michael Collins, Apollo 11 astronaut, dies after battle with cancer
During his time with Gemini X, Collins made history as the first person to perform two spacewalks.
On Apollo 11, Collins served as the Command Module Pilot and, although he didn’t land on the moon, “he played a vital role in ensuring the crew got home safely,” Kennedy Space Center said.
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Collins was inducted into four halls of fame, including the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1985, as well as the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1993.
You can read more about his life here.
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