(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . We lost two Apollo astronauts this past month [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-11-18 With everything that past going on at home and abroad, this news didn’t seem to get much attention, but in the past few weeks, the small, elite group of human beings who not only flew to the moon, but also got far enough away from the earth to see it its entirety, has gotten smaller still. Thomas Kenneth Mattingly II, RADM USN passed away on October 31, followed by Frank Fredrick Borman II, COL USAF on November 7. Mattingly was 87, Borman was 95 and the oldest living American astronaut. Frank Borman Borman graduated eighth in his class from West Point in 1950 and chose a commission in the Air Force (the Air Force would not get its own Academy for a few more years). During the Korean War, he was assigned to Clark Air Base in the Philllipines. After the war, Borman would hod various positions, including flight instructor at Moody AFB in Georgia, and a teaching position at West Point, as well as attaining a Masters of Science in aeronautical engineering from CalTech. In 1962, NASA announced openings for a second group of astronauts to supplement the original Mercury Seven astronauts, who had been recruited three years prior. Despite being told by noted USAF pilot (and frequent NASA skeptic) Chuck Yeager that it would be a dead-end for his Air Force career, Borman joined the asronaut group, informally known as the “New Nine” or “Next Nine”, which included Neil Armstrong and most of the future Apollo commanders. Borman’s first prime crew assignment was command of Gemini 7 in December of 1965, a grueling two-week mission with two men, orbiting in a cramped spacecraft to study the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body. Borman would be joined by future Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell. One notable change involved the loss of an Agena target vehicle which been intended for rendezvous and docking practice by Gemini 6. Although it wasn’t possible for the two Gemini craft to physically dock, it was decided to have Gemini 6 rendezvous with 7, marking the first time two spacecraft had done so (as well as the first time four American astronauts had been in space at the same time). After the Apollo 1 fire that killed astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee, Borman would go before the Senate committee and assured senators that he astronaut corps remained confident with the program. With the Apollo program resumed, it was originally planned for one mission, commanded by Jim McDivitt would test fly the Lunar Module in low earth orbit, while a subsequent mission, commanded by Borman would test the LM in a higher orbit. With delays in the LM development and the possibility of the Soviet lunar flyby mission before the end of 1968, however it was decided to instead send Borman, along with his Gemini crewmate Lovell and rookie astronaut Bill Anders, flying only the command module, on a lunar orbit mission in December. Since Borman’s mission would now precede McDivitt’s mission (Apollo 8 and 9, respectively), it also meant the backup crews would also switch places. Since backup crews could traditionally expect a prime crew assignment three missions later, this put Borman’s backup, Neil Armstrong, in position to command Apollo 11. The first couple of days of Apollo 8 were not particularly pleasant for Borman, who suffered space sickness, before his body adapted. He and the others, however, were later rewarded with the magnificent view of the Earth rising over the lunar surface. The crew would read from Genesis while in orbit (something that would lead to a lawsuit against NASA by a prominent atheist), before returning home. The successful mission was viewed a bright spot in an otherwise turbulent year, with the crew even earning a coveted spot as Time Magazine’s “Men of the Year”. Like most of the Apollo commanders, the mission would be Borman’s last, as he retired from both NASA and the Air Force in 1970. He would later cite the stress his work had put on his wife Susan (who struggled with an alcohol problem) as another reason. As the position of astronaut is infamous for leading to failed marriages, It is worth noting that of the seven members of their astronaut group who survived the program, Borman and Lovell were the only two who never divorced. In his civilian life, Borman would assume a position as Chairman of Eastern Airlines. Borman was well-known for shunning many of the luxuries that airline executives often indulged in. While his efforts to streamline the company initially proved quite profitable, the heavy competition caused by airline deregulation in the 1970’s, coupled with union disputes, ended his career with Eastern. In later years, Borman pursued various fields, including owning a car dealership and ranching, as well as commemorating various Apollo anniversaries with his former crewmates. He was predeceased by his wife Susan in 2021 and survived by his Frederick and Edwin. Ken Mattingly Ken Mattingly showed a passion for aviation at an early age, often building paper airplanes and flying them at the local park with his father. After receiving a Bachelor’s in aeronautical engineering from Auburn University in 1958, Mattingly received a commission in the US Navy. Over the next seven years, Mattingly would rotate to various aviation assignments, including attending the USAF Test Pilot’s School at Edward’s, before applying to join NASA’s fifth group of astronauts in 1965. (Mattingly had previously applied and been passed over for the Air Force’s competitor program, the Manned Orbiting Laboratory). After working on the support team for Apollo 8, Mattingly was assigned as a secondary backup Command Module Pilot for Apollo 11. Bill Anders was the official backup CMP for Apollo 11, but having announced he would be retiring from NASA in August of 1969, it was decided another backup CMP would be needed, in case the mission was delayed. Given the usual crew rotation, Mattingly, and the other backup crew, Jim Lovell and Fred Haise, could reasonably expect to fly three missions later, on Apollo 14. However, due to some concerns over the return of Alan Shepard, who had returned to duty after being grounded for years due to Ménière's_disease, it was decided to assign Shepard to 14, allowing him more time to train, and assign Lovell, Mattingly and Haise to 13. (The movie Apollo 13 erroneously states that the switch was due to Shepard having an ear infection). Mattingly, as most people know, would not fly on Apollo 13. Only three days before launch, Mattingly was pulled from the crew and replaced with his backup Jack Swigert, due to Mattingly and the rest of the crew having been exposed to German Measles (with only Mattingly having no immunity). As Lovell and his wife Marilyn noted on the Apollo 13 DVD commentary track, the decision was undoubtedly a painful one for Mattingly, a then-bachelor, who was well know for his reputation of training harder and longer than other astronauts. When the spacecraft was stricken by an explosion days into the mission, however, Mattingly was called in, with several other astronauts, to work out the problem of keeping the craft viable until the crew could return home. Mattingly, ultimately, never developed the Measles. Mattingly would ultimately fly with the other two backups John Young and Charlie Duke on Apollo 16. While his crewmates explored the Descartes Highlands, Mattingly made 94 lunar orbits, and would later conduct an EVA to recover film from the Service Module during the trip home. With Young having passed away in 2018, Duke is now the last remaining Apollo 16 crew member. Like Young, Mattingly would stay with NASA well into the age of the space shuttle. Mattingly would command two shuttle missions. The first, STS-4, was a test flight of the shuttle Columbia in 1982. The second, STS-51-C, had the shuttle Discovery deploy a payload for the Department of Defense in 1985, with many details remaining classified to this day. According to director Ron Howard, Mattingly, as a commander, had a reputation for demanding the same long hours and hard work from his crew that he himself had put in. Mattingly retired from NASA that same year, and from the navy the following year as a two-star admiral. He would hold positions with Grumman and later Lockheed-Martin. He would also remain a member of several organizations, including the American Astronautical Society, the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and the U.S. Naval Institute. He was survived by his wife Kathleen and son Thomas III. (Note: By coincidence, the date this is being posted, November 18, 2023, happens to be the 100th birthday of Mercury and Apollo astronaut Alan B. Shepard, the first American in space). [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/11/18/2205263/-We-lost-two-Apollo-astronauts-this-past-month?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/