Thomas Ken Mattingly Dead: NASA Astronaut Key to Apollo Program’s Success

NASA lost one of its key members. The U.S. space agency announced the passing of one of its astronauts on Thursday.

Thomas Ken Mattingly Dead

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson released a statement to pay tribute to Thomas Ken Mattingly. Nelson recognized the late astronaut and his huge contributions to the success of the Apollo Program.

According to him, Mattingly passed away on Tuesday (Oct. 31). The NASA astronaut was a pivotal contributor to the Apollo Program, and the agency would remember him due to his "shining personality."

His most notable role at NASA may have been that he played shortly before Apollo 13's launch following his rubella exposure. He stayed behind and made crucial decisions in real-time to successfully return the injured spacecraft and the Apollo 13 crew, which included NASA astronauts Fred Haise, Jack Swigert, and James Lovell, Nelson added.

Mattingly started his career with the U.S. Navy. He was a pilot in the Navy who earned his wings in 1960 and flew various aircraft on several postings. He enrolled in the Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School, and 1966, NASA selected him for the astronaut class. He led the development of the Apollo spacesuit and backpack and served as an astronaut support crew member for the Apollo Program before his spaceflight.

When TK assumed the position of spacecraft commander for STS-4 and STS 51-C and command module pilot for Apollo 16, his unmatched flying prowess served the agency well. His dedication to ingenuity and fortitude in the face of adversity made him a perfect representative of its goal and the country's pride.

NASA's understanding has advanced beyond space due to TK's contributions, Nelson added. He said, "I had this very palpable fear that if I saw too much, I couldn't remember," when describing his time in orbit. Mattingly saw the expanse of the world as an endless arena of possibilities. TK will be remembered for his leadership in exploratory missions and his willingness to take risks to secure the future of our nation, Nelson concluded.

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Mattingly's NASA Experience

Thomas K. Mattingly was the astronaut representative in the development and testing of the Apollo spacesuit and backpack (EMU) and was a part of the astronaut support crews for Apollo 8 and 11. Despite being assigned as the Apollo 13 mission's command module pilot, he lost his flight status 72 hours before the launch because he had contracted German measles. He has flown 7,200 hours total, with 5,000 of those hours spent in jet aircraft, based on his biography.

He also served as the head of astronaut office support for the Shuttle Transportation System (STS) program from January 1973 to March 1978. The Manager of the Orbital Flight Test Program then assigned him to serve as a technical assistant during flight testing.

He was the chief of the astronaut office ascent/entry group from December 1979 to April 1981. Then, during Columbia's second and third orbital test missions, STS-2 and STS-3, he acted as backup commander. Mattingly headed the DOD Support Group for the Astronaut Office from June 1983 to May 1984. Having completed three space missions, Mattingly has accumulated 504 hours in orbit, which includes an hour and thirteen minutes of extravehicular activity (EVA) during his Apollo 16 mission. He flew Apollo 16's command module from April 16-27, 1972. He also served as STS-4's spacecraft commander from June 26-July 4, 1982, and STS 51-C's spacecraft commander from Jan. 24-27, 1985. In 1985, Captain Mattingly resigned from NASA.