Astronaut RADM Ken Mattingly, USN passes away

Ken Mattingly

Astronaut and retired two-star admiral Ken Mattingly passed away on Halloween at the age of 87. NASA announced his death on 2 November. For those who came of age during and after the space race, the men of the early American space program will always be heroes and inspirations.

Mattingly earned his naval aviator wings in 1960, flying A-1H Skyraiders and then A-3B Skywarriors. Having witnessed the launch of Gemini 3 while on an aerial reconnaissance mission, he scored a slot in the USAF test pilots school. From there, in 1965 he was part of Astronaut Group 5 selected by NASA.

Mattingly would play a major role in the Apollo program. He served as capsule communicator (CAPCOM) for the landmark Apollo 8 mission (the first to orbit the moon). He was then backup command module pilot (CMP) for Apollo 11, that position ultimately filled by Michael Collins (the primary CMP) for the first manned lunar landing.

Mattingly would join Jim Lovell and Fred Haise as the primary flight crew for Apollo 13. Three days before launching as CMP for that mission, he would be grounded for exposure to German Measles (which he never contracted). He was replaced on the ill-fated flight by Jack Swigert. When the spacecraft exploded mid-flight, nearly killing the crew, Mattingly played a critical role in getting his comrades back home. In the film Apollo 13 he was played by Gary Sinise.

Mattingly finally got to see the moon up close as CMP for Apollo 16. This penultimate moon landing saw Ken remain in lunar orbit while John Young and Charlie Duke went to the surface and gallivanted around in the moon buggy. During the trip back to Earth, Mattingly conducted one of only three deep space extra-vehicular activities ever done (so far).

After Apollo, Mattingly served in administrative roles within NASA until the Space Shuttle Program. He was commander of STS-4, the fourth and final test flight of the shuttle orbiter Columbia in 1982. They were welcomed back to Earth by President and Mrs. Reagan personally.

Mattingly flew once more as spacecraft commander, this time aboard Discovery on STS-51-C. This 1985 mission was the first DoD flight for the shuttle program. After this mission, which brought his total time in space to more than 21 days, he retired from NASA. He retired from the Navy in 1986 as a rear admiral (upper half). He logged more than 7,200 hours in flight, with more than 5,000 of those in jets.

After the Navy, Mattingly went into the defense industry and worked for Grumman, General Dynamics, and Lockheed Martin. He’d married to Elizabeth in 1970, they have one son. Among Mattingly’s awards and decorations are the NASA Distinguished Service Medal (twice), the DoD Distinguished Service Medal, and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.

Source; NASA

Category: NASA, Navy, We Remember