For the uninitiated, Collins was the primary pilot during Apollo 11 who stayed in the Command Module orbiting the moon while Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong took the Lunar Module down.
For the uninitiated, Collins was the primary pilot during Apollo 11 who stayed in the Command Module orbiting the moon while Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong took the Lunar Module down.
Soviets got there first, but Collins and the Apollo 13 astronauts have traveled further away from Earth of any other humans.
That's true, but the Soviets had a different goal. They were always more focused on getting space stations up, even during the moon program. Long term habitation and settlement, not quick purpose built moon shots was the focus. And what space infrastructure we have today is largely SU influenced.
The TKS spacecraft that was being test flow in the late 80s (and provided the core of the ISS) is still the most capable and modular spacecraft ever flown and will continue to be for the forseeable future unless Musk stops his grain silos exploding.
The Soviets had a manned TKS Venus orbital mission in the works when they fell.
RIP in peace Mir. Lots of what went into the ISS in the 2000s has just been catching up to where the Soviets left off, and of course the next two planned additions are a Russian module that's been held up for ten years and either needs to fly by the end of this one or its warranties will all expire, and an expansion to allow private companies and space tourists to visit the ISS more easily.