Astronaut Profile
Thomas K. Mattingly II
Command Module Pilot
Ken Mattingly was grounded from Apollo 13 days before launch over a measles scare, then flew to the Moon anyway on Apollo 16 the following year, and never caught the virus at all.
OrbitingTruths Archive
Command Module Pilot • Deceased
Biography
The person behind the mission
Thomas K. 'Ken' Mattingly II was a United States Navy pilot and NASA astronaut originally assigned as Command Module Pilot for Apollo 13. He was removed from the crew just three days before launch after being exposed to German measles, though he never developed the illness. Mattingly went on to fly as Command Module Pilot on Apollo 16 in 1972, performing a deep-space EVA to retrieve film from the spacecraft's instrument bay, and later commanded two Space Shuttle missions, STS-4 and STS-51-C.
Astronaut Details
Born
March 17, 1936
Died
October 31, 2023
Birthplace
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Role
Command Module Pilot
Program
Apollo
Time in Space
21 days, 3 hours
EVA Time
1 hour, 24 minutes
Missions
Apollo 16, STS-4, STS-51-C
Recognition
Awards & Honors
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- NASA Exceptional Service Medal
- NASA Space Flight Medal