North American astronaut Thomas Mattingly, who helped safely return the crew of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission, died Tuesday at the age of 87, the North American Space Agency (NASA) announced today.
Despite being scheduled to pilot the Apollo 13 flight command module, Thomas Mattingly – also known as Ken Mattingly – was sidelined 72 hours before launch after being exposed to rubella.
In April 1970, during the mission, an explosion crippled the spacecraft on its way to the moon.
Mattingly, who did not become ill, went to Mission Control and developed energy-saving procedures so that the vehicle could reenter the atmosphere, saving the lives of James Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise, the astronauts aboard the module.
The film “Apollo 13”, released in 1995 and starring Gary Sinise Mattingly, popularized the space mission of the same name.
Known as a hero, the American started his career as a naval aviation pilot before being selected to become an astronaut in 1966.
At NASA, he was a command module pilot for the Apollo 16 mission and captain of two spacecraft missions.
“Thomas’ contributions have taken our learning beyond space,” said Bill Nelson, chief of NASA.
Source: DN
