Origin
In April and May 2021, after the death of renowned former astronaut Michael Collins, a colorful old quotation, widely attributed to him, reemerged online.
One meme in particular became popularonFacebook and on the online forum Reddit. It contained a photograph of Collins, shown in the center, along with his Apollo 11 crewmates Neil Armstrong (left) and Buzz Aldrin (right). The text in the meme was as follows:
When Neil Armstrong was pondering what his first words on the Lunar surface would be during the Apollo 11 landing, Command Module pilot Michael Collins jokingly suggested:
“If you had any balls, you’d say ‘Oh my God, what is that thing?’ then scream and cut your mic.”