It’s like a tourist visiting London and not going to Buckingham Palace.
Like going to Blackpool and avoiding the pleasure beach.
It’s like passing a discarded trampoline without having a jump on it.
It’s like seeing a ball in the street and not doing a spot of keepie-uppie with it.
It’s like espying a skip and not having a nosy in it.
So why, oh, why would you go to the moon and not have a walk on it?
On July 1969 the lunar module of Apollo 11, allegedly, landed on the moon. Out jumped Neil Armstrong with his giant leaps and Mrs Goldstein gag, followed by Buzz Aldrin; Buzzy boy was the second man on the moon and because of this he has not been very well known until recently. The popularity of his modern-day cartoon namesake Buzz Lightyear has helped Aldrin become more easily remembered. No such luck for the Third man.
Without a Google most would be lost in space trying to name the man who didn’t get off the spacecraft. He should have shown more courage, he is an astronaut after all, and told one of the others it was his shot to kick some moon dust. But no, he was under orders to have nothing to do with this busman’s holiday and swim in the waterless Sea of Tranquillity. He stayed on the coach. All that way for nothing.
This guy was nothing more than a getaway driver. This is the one of most boring jobs in the galaxy. The fun stuff is in having a pair of stockings over your head (or a space helmet) and running amok with a shotgun collecting diamonds (or Moon Rocks). With your swag bag full you make for the vehicle that will va-va-voom you off, scot free.
The Third man should have hung the glory grabbers out to dry and orbited over to the dark side.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Maybe they tossed for it? 🙂
Rock, paper and scissors?
TR: As you hinted, Mike Collins was not even on the Lunar Module he was 50 miles up on the Command Module (the getaway car), it would have been a lot more than “a small step” for him to have taken a walk. One of the many back up plans called for him to take the CM down to an orbit of less than 20 miles altitude if the Lunar Module could not return to the design altitude. Nobody still seems quite sure about just how low an orbit is possible around the moon.
None of ’em ever left Cape Canaveral!
Never did believe those shadows on those moon shots, unless we have two suns all of a sudden!
“Nobody still seems quite sure about just how low an orbit is possible around the moon.”
Quite, LW.
From the esteemed astrophysicist Brian May’s web page.
Captains Log: Star Date-**Sun 16 Dec 12**
“The conspiracy theories about astronauts NOT landing on the Moon are all nonsense. It all happened, for sure … amazingly, because the technology was only just up to it … and only because it was supplemented by a lot of skills in the pilots. I’ve now met a lot of the astronauts from all the Apollo missions. The evidence is all still there … there are some new pictures of the landing sites and flags and tracks of the vehicles. Here’s a nice stereo – not sure if it’s ever been published before … of the Lunar Lander from Apollo 17. Still sitting there as good as new, because of course there is really no ‘weather’ on the Moon. You can see lots of tracks too, and another piece of equipment to the right.” (complemented by photographs)
Oh Brian, sigh. Welcome back Mrs O. I fully endorse your #4.
Backside knows that the Earth is flat. It explains so much.
Yeah, and what about the flag fluttering in the breeze?
OZ
I still feel sorry for Laika.
Yes, totally bloody sick.
Should have sent some disgusting human.