Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins is one of those American heroes whose name you never remember. He was on the first moon landing mission, but Collins is actually most famous for what he didn't do: he never walked on the moon. He flew 250,000 miles to the moon on Apollo 11 but never set foot on the satellite. On July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the Eagle on the lunar surface, the third member of their crew, Collins, was all alone, orbiting the moon in the Columbia, their command module.

He was part of the most famous space mission of all time, and a crucial part of one of humanity's most monumental achievements, yet most Americans don't know who Michael Collins is. This list is full of trivia and facts about Collins, all of which are reminders of just how unstoppably awesome Collins was, is, and always will be.

This list is jam-packed with surprising information that will make you rethink a guy you've probably never given enough thought. Most people imagine Collins is bitter about not traipsing on the moon, but did you know that actually turned down the chance to explore the lunar surface on a later Apollo mission? Or that he was one of the driving forces behind the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum, one of the single most popular museums in the world?

Michael Collins may be remembered forever as the Apollo 11 astronaut who got the short end of the stick, but he's so much more than that, and this list proves it. Vote up your favorite bit of trivia about the space explorer, pilot, and all-American badass who's so cool he didn't even need to walk on the moon.

He Wasn't the Lonely Voyager Everyone Assumed

Photo: via Reddit While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were on the moon, TV news anchors all over the world described Collins as the loneliest man in human history, since he was all by himself in the Command Module Columbia, 69 miles above the far side of the moon. He wasn't lonely, though. He was aware of his isolation and later wrote in his book Carrying the Fire, "I feel this powerfully - not as fear or loneliness - but as awareness, anticipation, satisfaction, confidence, almost exultation. I like the feeling."﻿

He Missed Neil Armstrong's Famous "One Small Step for Man" Moment

Photo: via Twitter When Neil Armstrong became the first person to step foot on the lunar surface, Michael Collins wasn't one of the 600 million people who heard him declare, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." The timing just didn't work out. As Armstrong was exiting the lander, Collins's orbit took his command module behind the far side of the moon, cutting off his radio communications. By the time he was back in touch, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were already putting up an American flag, with the world watching.

He Had to Go Through Customs When He Returned from the Moon

Photo: via Imgur All three Apollo 11 astronauts filled out customs forms at the Honolulu Airport after returning from their mission on July 24, 1969. What did they declare after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean? A cargo of moon rocks, moon dust, and lunar samples.

He's Responsible for the National Air & Space Museum Being Awesome

Photo: Nathan Rupert/Flickr Collins was the first director of the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum, overseeing both the design and the construction of the main building in Washington, D.C. Under his leadership, the museum opened ahead of schedule and under budget in 1976, drawing more than 10 million visitors in its first year. To this day, it remains one of the most popular museums of any kind in the world.