He helped rescue "Apollo 13": Astronaut Mattingly dead
US astronaut Thomas Kenneth Mattingly, who played an important role in the rescue mission of the Apollo 13 crew in 1970, has died at the age of 87. This was announced by the US space agency Nasa.
"We lost one of our country's heroes on October 31," it said in a statement. The Navy-trained pilot played a key role in the success of the Apollo program.
Mattingly, known as "TK", was actually intended to be the command module pilot at the time. However, as he was exposed to rubella shortly before the launch and was not immune to it, he had to stay on the ground as a precaution. Nasa did not want to risk him falling ill during the moon mission. "Of course I was very disappointed," he said years later.
Mattingly at the control center
An explosion in an oxygen tank of the space capsule put the crew - commander Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert, who stood in for Mattingly - in acute mortal danger at the time. "Houston, we have a problem," the crew reported to the control center in Houston.
From the control center, Mattingly helped a team of experts to find solutions for the safe return of his comrades, for example with the emergency power supply. "He made important decisions to bring the damaged spacecraft and crew home successfully," wrote Nasa. On April 17, 1970 - after four anxious days - the team finally landed safely near American Samoa in the Pacific Ocean.
Ron Howard filmed the dramatic rescue in 1995 in the successful Hollywood movie "Apollo 13" with Tom Hanks as Lovell, Bill Paxton as Haise, Kevin Bacon as Swigert and Gary Sinise as Mattingly. With "Apollo 16" in 1972, he finally made his first space flight as the pilot of the command module.
Mattingly's expertise in space travel and problem-solving during the Apollo 13 crisis was a testament to the vital role of science in space exploration. His calms decisions using mission data and contingency plans saved the Apollo 13 crew.
Source: www.dpa.com
