“No photographer spent more time with the Apollo 11 astronauts than LIFE’s Ralph Morse, who for years — and especially in the months leading up to the July 16, 1969 lift-off — chronicled the crew’s public and private lives. Forty years later, Morse spoke with LIFE about the astronauts, the moon landing, and rare and never-before-published photographs capturing that heady time. Above: A never-published photo of astronaut Michael Collins and his wife Pat with their children (from left, Kate, Michael Jr., and Ann), Houston, Texas, March 1969.”