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Who was Ken Mattingly? Astronaut who tried saving lives of Apollo 13 crew in 1970 dies at 87

Ken Mattingly is survived by his wife Kathleen (Ruemmele) Mattingly and son Thomas III

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Ken Mattingly, the astronaut who tried to save the lives of the crew of Apollo 13 in 1970, has breathed his last at the age of 87.

According to a statement by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Mattingly died on Tuesday, October 31. 

“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,” the statement added. 

How did Ken Mattingly try to rescue the members of Apollo 13?

Nelson went on to highlight the crucial 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 to New York Times, this came after Mattingly was excluded from the crew days before launch. Meanwhile, 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. 

The outlet reported 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 provided detailed instructions for the spacecraft's crew to follow.

The incident took place 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.

When was Ken Mattingly chosen by NASA?

Mattingly joined the Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School and was subsequently chosen by NASA to be part of the astronaut class in 1966, as per Nelson’s statement.

He went on to be a command module pilot for Apollo 16 in 1972, as well as a spacecraft commander for space shuttle missions STS-4 in 1982 and STS 51-C in 1985.

“Mattingly’s contributions have allowed for advancements in our learning beyond that of space,” Nelson said, adding “He described his experience in orbit by saying, ‘I had this very palpable fear that if I saw too much, I couldn’t remember. It was just so impressive.’"

Actor Gary Sinise paid tribute to Ken Mattingly

Earlier this year, actor Gary Sinise, who played Mattingly in the 1995 Apollo 13 movie, 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), adding “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!”

Mattingly is survived by his wife Kathleen (Ruemmele) Mattingly and son Thomas III, according to New York Times.