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Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Georgina.

In this program, we're going to be talking about the astronaut who piloted the command module

to take Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to walk on the moon. Michael Collins, who sadly passed

away in 2021 at the age of 90, has been described as the loneliest man in history.

Yes, while Armstrong delivered his famous quote when taking the first steps on the lunar surface

and Buzz followed soon after, Collins was left behind to circle the moon.

tasked with a huge responsibility of getting the three pioneers, the first people to do something

back to earth. That's right, and many people over the years have wondered whether he was

disappointed not to have walked on the moon. How would you feel if you went all that way and

didn't stand on the moon, Georgina? Me personally, I'd probably be pretty devastated,

but I think it depends on personality. To be honest, I'd probably be too scared to go to the moon

anyway. Yes, and just think about being in a space module together trapped for all those hours,

it could create quite the sense of camaraderie, a friendship and trust formed by spending time

together. Or you could just drive each other crazy asking questions.

Which is what I'm going to do now, Georgina. I know how much you love animals,

and the first animal that went into space was a Russian dog in 1957, but what was the dog's name?

A. Irina. B. Lyca. Or C. Anastasia. Well, I think I know this one. B. Lyca. And I believe sadly,

she didn't survive. Okay, Georgina, we'll find out if that's right at the end of the program.

But let's talk more about Michael Collins and that famous trip to the moon that captured

people's attention around the world. Yes, I think one thing that has always interested me is the

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