Moon

Ken Mattingly Has Passed Away

Published on 03 November 2023

Navy test pilot Ken Mattingly was selected by NASA in 1966. Left out of Apollo 13 for medical reasons, he orbited the Moon in 1972 with Apollo 16 and commanded two shuttle missions. He passed away on October 31.

A big name in the race to the Moon and the space shuttle program died on October 31, 2023 at the age of 87. Engineer and Navy test pilot Thomas Kenneth “Ken” Mattingly was born March 17, 1936 in Chicago. Thirty years later, NASA accepted his candidacy during its fifth selection of nineteen astronauts.

APOLLO 13’S “FOURTH ASTRONAUT”

Somewhat unfairly, Ken Mattingly is sometimes best remembered for a mission he was unable to complete. Indeed, only three days before Apollo 13’s take-off (scheduled for April 11, 1970), he was banned from flying because doctors thought he might be suffering from rubella (he never had the disease).

When his colleagues (James Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise) found themselves in an emergency following an explosion in the service module of their ship on route to the Moon, Ken Mattingly took part in the huge effort on the ground by the NASA and constructors’ personnel to bring them back safe and sound. In the 1995 Ron Howard film Apollo 13, the role of Ken Mattingly is played by Gary Sinise (also known in cinema for Forrest Gump and the TV series CSI: Manhattan).

Portrait of Ken Mattingly at the time of the Apollo programme.
© NASA

During the Apollo 16 mission, Ken Mattingly photographed the return of the Lunar Module with John Young and Charlie Duke on board.
© NASA

AROUND THE MOON WITH APOLLO 16

Two years later, from April 16 to 27, 1972 with Apollo 16, Ken Mattingly did, however, orbit the Moon. He held the same position as the one he was to have during Apollo 13, namely pilot of the Command Module, the one who remained in the “Apollo capsule” while his two colleagues walked on the Moon (in this case John Young and Charlie Duke). For three days and nine hours, Mattingly orbited our natural satellite alone, awaiting the return of his exploration companions.

On the way back to Earth, he undertook a spacewalk to recover cassettes which had recorded photos and readings from the Service Module’s scientific instruments.

COMMANDER OF TWO SHUTTLES

Ken Mattingly’s space career didn’t end after Apollo 16. In 1982, he commanded the STS-4 mission of the Columbia shuttle with Henry Hartsfield as pilot at his side. This fourth flight of the American space plane is considered the last test, those which followed being operational (the crew increased to four from STS -5).

On STS-4’s return, the shuttle Columbia landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on July 4. The date is significant since it is the United States national holiday. Above all, Ken Mattingly and Henry Hartsfield were greeted on the ground by President Ronald Reagan himself!

Mattingly’s third and final space flight again took place aboard a shuttle. This time, it was Discovery (STS-51C) in January 1985. The objective of the mission was military, probably putting an electronic intelligence satellite into orbit. The exact details of the flight are still covered by defence secrecy .

On July 4, 1982, Ken Mattingly (on the left, Hartsfield is behind him at his side ) greets United States President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy as they land in California. In the background, we see the landing gear and part of the wing of the shuttle Columbia.
© NASA

Ken Mattingly left NASA after this orbit of the Earth, then worked in the private sector, notably at Lockheed Martin.

He passed away on October 31 at the age of 87. Over three missions, he accumulated 21 days 4 hours and 34 minutes in space. He is also one of twelve people who orbited the Moon without setting foot there (all NASA astronauts).

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