Ken Mattingly | |
|---|---|
_Mattingly.jpg) Mattingly in 1971 | |
| Born | Thomas Kenneth Mattingly II (1936-03-17)March 17, 1936 |
| Died | October 31, 2023(2023-10-31) (aged 87) Arlington, Virginia, U.S. |
| Education | Auburn University (BS) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | NASA Distinguished Service Medal |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Rear Admiral,USN |
Time in space | 21d 4h 34m |
| Selection | NASA Group 5 (1966) |
TotalEVAs | 1 |
Total EVA time | 1h 23m |
| Missions | |
Mission insignia |    |
| Retirement | June 1985 |
Thomas Kenneth Mattingly II (March 17, 1936 – October 31, 2023) was an Americanaviator,aeronautical engineer,test pilot,rear admiral in theUnited States Navy, andastronaut who orbited the Moon onApollo 16 and flew on theSpace ShuttleSTS-4 andSTS-51-C missions.
Born inChicago,Illinois, Mattingly was replaced asApollo 13 crew three days before launch, then helped NASA bring the crippled spacecraft home. Mattingly flew asCommand Module Pilot for Apollo 16 and made 64 lunar orbits,[1] becoming one of24 astronauts to fly to the Moon.[2] During Apollo 16's return to Earth, Mattingly performed anextravehicular activity to retrieve film cassettes from thecommand and service module. It was the second "deep space" EVA in history, at great distance from anyplanetary body.[3]
Mattingly and his Apollo 16 commander,John Young, are the only astronauts to have flown to theMoon and orbited the Earth on the Space Shuttle.
Thomas Kenneth Mattingly II was born on March 17, 1936, inChicago,Illinois, to Thomas Kenneth Mattingly (1903–1995) and Constance Mason Mattingly (née Clarke; 1905–1997).[4][5] His father, who had been hired byEastern Airlines soon after his son's birth, moved the family toHialeah, Florida. Aviation became part of Mattingly's life from a very young age; he later recalled that his "earliest memories...all had to do with airplanes".[6]
Mattingly was active in theBoy Scouts of America where he achieved its second highest rank,Life Scout. He graduated fromMiami Edison High School in 1954, and went on to receive aBachelor of Science degree inaeronautical engineering fromAuburn University in 1958.[6] He was also a member ofDelta Tau Delta fraternity (Epsilon Alpha chapter).[7]
Mattingly was commissioned in the U.S. Navy as anensign in 1958 and received hisaviator wings in 1960. He was then assigned toAttack Squadron Thirty-five (VA-35) atNaval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, and flewDouglas A-1H Skyraider propeller aircraft aboard theaircraft carrierUSS Saratoga from 1960 to 1963. In July 1963, he was transferred to Heavy Attack Squadron Eleven (VAH-11) atNaval Air Station Sanford, Florida, where he flewDouglas A-3B Skywarrior jet aircraft for two years and deployed aboardUSS Franklin D. Roosevelt.[2]
While Mattingly was based at Sanford, a fellow officer invited him along on a mission to take aerial photos of theCape Canaveral launch ofGemini 3 (carrying Mattingly's future Apollo 16 Commander John W. Young) from the air.[8]
During his second cruise, Mattingly attempted to join theUnited States Naval Test Pilot School atNaval Air Station Patuxent River, but the cruise ended after the class started. He was selected to attend theU.S. Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School atEdwards Air Force Base in California,[8] where future astronautsEdgar Mitchell andKarol J. Bobko were his classmates and his instructors includedCharles Duke, his Apollo 16 crewmate, andHenry W. Hartsfield Jr., whom Mattingly later commanded on STS-4.
On September 10, 1965, NASA began the selection process for thefifth astronaut group. From a pool of 351 applicants, NASA picked 159 candidates who met the basic qualifications, including beingUnited States citizens born on or after December 1, 1929, who were no more than six feet tall. They were also required to have at least 1,000 hours of flight time in jet aircraft. Mattingly had previously shown little interest and inclination to apply for the astronaut program, but his views changed at the Air Force Test Pilot School where he and his classmates were offered the chance to apply for eitherNASA or theUnited States Air Force (USAF)Manned Orbiting Laboratory program. Mattingly and Mitchell chose the latter and were rejected. The deadline for applying for the NASA group had passed, but one of their instructors was able to get NASA to accept their applications.[8] On the interview panel the astronaut office representatives were John W. Young andMichael Collins, who were at that time in training as prime crew forGemini 10. Mattingly later recollected that he was "perplexed" by Young. Collins asked Mattingly how he felt about theLockheed F-104 Starfighter, to which Mattingly replied that he thought it was a "fun aircraft" but without worth in combat. Collins appeared to dislike the answer and Mattingly felt he had blown his chance. After the conclusion of the selection process, however, Mattingly was called by NASA's Director of Flight Crew OperationsDeke Slayton with an offer to become an astronaut.[8]
At the time of his selection, Mattingly had 2,582 hours of flight experience, including 1,036 hours in jet aircraft. He also had a bachelor's degree in engineering or in the physical or biological sciences as required by the initial qualifications. From the 100 military personnel and 59 civilian candidates, NASA selected 19 to join the group for training as astronauts.[9]
Mattingly, a lieutenant in the Navy,[9] was a student at the U.S. Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards AFB, California, when NASA selected him as an astronaut in April 1966.[2][10]
At first, Mattingly was part of the support crew forApollo 8.[11] Mattingly served asCAPCOM during Apollo 8's second television transmission and subsequent preparation fortrans-Earth injection.[12]
Mattingly then trained in parallel withBill Anders forApollo 11 as backup command module pilot, because Anders was going to retire from NASA in August 1969 and, in case of mission delay, would be unavailable.[8]
Mattingly was to be the Command Module Pilot on theApollo 13 mission. Originally,Jim Lovell, Mattingly andFred Haise were scheduled to fly onApollo 14 but his crew was switched to Apollo 13 so that the commander of the other crew,Alan Shepard, who was grounded duringProject Gemini could train longer. Three days prior to launch, he was removed from the mission because he had been exposed toGerman measles (which he never contracted) and was replaced by the backup CM pilot,Jack Swigert.[13] As a result, he missed the dramatic in-flight explosion that crippled the spacecraft.[14] On the ground, Mattingly played a large role in helping the crew solve the problem of power conservation during re-entry.[13][15]
The swapout from Apollo 13 placed Mattingly on the crew that flewApollo 16 (April 16–27, 1972), the fifth crewed lunar landing mission. The crew includedJohn Young (Commander), Mattingly (Command Module Pilot), andCharlie Duke (Lunar Module Pilot). The mission assigned to Apollo 16 was to collect samples from the lunar highlands near the craterDescartes. While inlunar orbit the scientific instruments aboard the Command/Service ModuleCasper extended the photographic and geochemical mapping of a belt around the lunar equator. A combined total of 26 separate scientific experiments were conducted in lunar orbit and during cislunar coast.[2]
During the return leg of the mission, Mattingly carried out anextravehicular activity (EVA) to retrieve film and data packages from the science bay on the side of the service module. Although the mission of Apollo 16 was terminated one day early out of concern over several spacecraft malfunctions, all major objectives were accomplished.[2]
Following his return to Earth, Mattingly served in astronaut managerial positions in theSpace Shuttle development program.[2]
Mattingly was named to commandSTS-4, the fourth and final orbital test flight of theSpace Shuttle Columbia, launched fromKennedy Space Center, Florida, on June 27, 1982, withHenry W. Hartsfield Jr., as the pilot. This seven-day mission was designed to further verify ascent and entry phases of shuttle missions; perform continued studies of the effects of long-term thermal extremes on the orbiter subsystems; and conduct a survey of orbiter-induced contamination on the orbiter payload bay. Additionally, the crew operated several scientific experiments located in the orbiter's cabin and in the payload bay. These experiments included the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System experiment designed to investigate the separation of biological materials in a fluid according to their surface electrical charge.[2][16] This experiment was a pathfinder for the first commercial venture to capitalize on the unique characteristics of space. The crew is also credited with effecting an in-flight repair that enabled them to activate the first operational "Getaway Special" (composed of nine experiments that ranged fromalgae andduckweed growth in space tofruit fly andbrine shrimp genetic studies). STS-4 completed 112 orbits of the Earth before landing atEdwards Air Force Base, California, on July 4, 1982.[2] Mattingly and Hartsfield were greeted by PresidentRonald Reagan after the landing; Reagan recognized the pair, both graduates ofAuburn University, as "you two sons of Auburn" in his welcoming speech.[17]
STS-51-C, the first Space ShuttleDepartment of Defense mission, launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on January 24, 1985. The crew included Mattingly (spacecraft commander),Loren Shriver (pilot),James Buchli andEllison Onizuka (Mission Specialists), andGary Payton (Manned Spaceflight Engineer). STS-51-C performed its DOD mission, which included deployment of a modified Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) vehicle from theSpace Shuttle Discovery. Landing occurred on January 27, 1985.[2]
!["President Ronald Reagan chats with NASA astronauts Henry Hartsfield and Thomas Mattingly on the runway as first lady Nancy Reagan scans the nose of Space Shuttle Columbia following its Independence Day landing at Edwards Air Force Base on July 4, 1982."[18]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aRonald_and_Nancy_Reagan_NASA_1982.jpg)
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In 1985, Mattingly retired from NASA, then retired from the Navy the following year with the two-star rank ofRear admiral (upper half), and entered theprivate sector. He worked as aDirector inGrumman's Space Station Support Division. He then headed the Atlas booster program forGeneral Dynamics in San Diego, California.[19] AtLockheed Martin he was vice president in charge of theX-33 development program.[11] He then worked at Systems Planning and Analysis inVirginia.[20]
Mattingly logged 7,200 hours of flight time, including 5,000 hours injet aircraft.[2]
Mattingly was a member of many organizations. He was an associate fellow,American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics;fellow,American Astronautical Society; and member,Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and theU.S. Naval Institute.[2]
In 1970, he married Elizabeth Dailey.[13] They had one child, Thomas Kenneth Mattingly III.[21]
Mattingly died inArlington, Virginia, on October 31, 2023, at age 87.[22][23] NASA announced his death two days later on November 2.[22]
Mattingly was a recipient of numerous awards. He was awarded theNASA Distinguished Service Medal (2);[24] Johnson Space Center Certificate of Commendation (1970); JSC Group Achievement Award (1972);Navy Distinguished Service Medal;Navy Expeditionary Medal;National Defense Service Medal;NASA Space Flight Medal;Navy Astronaut Wings; Society of Experimental Test PilotsIvan C. Kincheloe Award (1972);Delta Tau Delta Achievement Award (1972); Auburn Alumni Engineers Council Outstanding Achievement Award (1972); American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award for 1972;AIAA Haley Astronautics Award for 1973;Fédération Aéronautique Internationale awarded him theV. M. Komarov Diploma in 1973;Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal (1982).[2]
Mattingly was inducted with a group of Apollo astronauts into theInternational Space Hall of Fame in 1983.[25] He was one of 24 Apollo astronauts who were inducted into theU.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997.[26] His name also appears onThe Astronaut Monument inHúsavík, Iceland, commemorating 32 Apollo astronauts who were sent to Iceland for geological training in the 1960s.[27]
Mattingly was portrayed byGary Sinise in the 1995 movieApollo 13 and byŽeljko Ivanek in the 1998HBO miniseriesFrom the Earth to the Moon.[28] Interviews with Mattingly were also used as part of the narrative track on the 1989 documentary filmFor All Mankind.[29]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
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