Ken Mattingly pictured at the Greater Talent Network 30th anniversary party at the United Nations on May 2, 2012.Photo:Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Ken Mattingly, the astronaut who helped save the crew of Apollo 13 in 1970, has died at the age of 87.
“We lost one of our country’s heroes on Oct. 31,” Nelson wrote of Mattingly - born Thomas Kenneth Mattingly II. “NASA astronaut TK Mattingly was key to the success of our Apollo Program, and his shining personality will ensure he is remembered throughout history.”
Nelson went on to highlight the tremendous role Mattingly played in providing “key real-time decisions to successfully bring home the wounded spacecraft and the crew of Apollo 13 – NASA astronauts James Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise” in 1970.
According toThe New York Times, this came after Mattingly was removed from the crew days before launch. This was because Blood tests revealed that Mattingly had been exposed to Rubella (German Measles) after training with Colonel Duke, who had caught the disease from an infected child at a neighborhood gathering.
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Ken Mattingly pictured in a spacesuit.Getty Images
Getty Images
The outlet added that after an oxygen tank explosion knocked out the power and oxygen of Apollo 13’s command module - resulting in the three astronauts crowding in an undamaged lunar module that had a capacity of two - Mattingly gave detailed instructions for the spacecraft’s crew to follow.
The situation occurred when the astronauts were 200,000 miles from Earth. Mattingly’s instructions from mission control in Houston led to Lovell, 95, Swigert - who died in 1982- and Haise, 89, arriving back to Earth safely.
Ken Mattingly pictured at the Mission Control of the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, following the aborted lunar landing mission, 17th April 1970.Space Frontiers/Getty Images
Space Frontiers/Getty Images
Earlier this year, actorGary Sinise, who played Mattingly in the 1995Apollo 13movie, penned a sweet tribute to Mattingly to mark the 53rd anniversary of the mission.
“Today marks the 53rd anniversary of the launch of the Apollo 13 mission to the moon,” Sinise, 68,wrote on X(formerly known as Twitter). “It was an honor to play TK Mattingly in the 1995 film with a wonderful cast. Here are some behind-the-scenes photos from the making of the movie. Enjoy!”
source: people.com
