2023-11-03 04:39:30
US astronaut Thomas K. Mattingly, who involuntarily became the savior of the ill-fated Apollo 13 space mission, is dead. Thomas K. “TK” Mattingly died on October 31 at the age of 87, as the US space agency Nasa announced on Thursday. Mattingly was assigned as a command module pilot for the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, but had to cancel the flight 72 hours before takeoff due to illness, NASA representative Bill Nelson explained.
After an explosion occurred aboard the spacecraft traveling to the Moon without him, Mattingly developed an energy-saving method from Earth that would allow the spacecraft to safely return to the atmosphere. In doing so, Mattingly probably saved the lives of his astronaut colleagues James Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise.
The event was filmed in the 1995 film “Apollo 13,” in which Mattingly was portrayed by US actor Gary Sinise.
Mattingly began his career as a pilot in the US Navy before joining the astronaut class in 1966. Mattingly’s contribution owes humanity a lot of knowledge “beyond space,” said Nelson.
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