Ken Mattingly, astronaut who helped Apollo 13 crew return safely home, dies at age 87

By ROBERT JABLON
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ken Mattingly, an astronaut who is best remembered for his efforts on the ground that helped bring the damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft safely back to Earth, has died. He was 87. NASA says Mattingly died Tuesday. Mattingly was to have piloted the command module that would orbit the moon on the Apollo 13 mission in 1970 but he was removed a few days before launch because he’d been exposed to German measles. When an oxygen tank blew on the craft, cutting most power and oxygen, Mattingly was on the ground and helped get the damaged craft and its three crew members back home. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says he made key decisions in the effort. Mattingly finally orbited the moon himself in 1972 on the Apollo 16 mission.