Jack Swigert

Infobox Astronaut
name =Jack Leonard Swigert, Jr.


type =Astronaut
nationality =American
date_birth =August 30, 1931
date_death =Death date and age|1982|12|27|1931|8|30
place_birth =Denver, Colorado
place_death =Washington D.C.
occupation =Test Pilot
selection =1966 NASA Group
time =5d 22h 54m
mission =Apollo 13
insignia =

John Leonard 'Jack' Swigert, Jr., (August 30, 1931 – December 27, 1982) was a NASA astronaut. He was one of only 24 men to have flown to the Moon.

Early life

Born in Denver, Colorado, Swigert attended the Blessed Sacrament School, Regis Jesuit High School, and East High School. He graduated from the University of Colorado, where he played varsity football and earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. He served with the U.S. Air Force from 1953-56. After completion of flight training at Nellis Air Force Base, he was assigned as a fighter pilot in Japan and Korea.

He then became a civilian engineering test pilot for Pratt & Whitney (1957-64) and North American Aviation (1964-66). He served in the Massachusetts Air National Guard from September 1957 to March 1960 and as a member of the Connecticut Air National Guard from April 1960 to October 1965.

After earning a master of science degree in aerospace science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from University of Hartford in West Hartford, Connecticut, Swigert was accepted into the NASA Apollo program in April 1966.

Aboard Apollo 13

Swigert was one of three astronauts aboard the ill-fated Apollo 13 moon mission, which was launched on April 11 1970. Originally part of the backup crew for the mission, he was assigned to the mission just days before launch, replacing astronaut Ken Mattingly. The prime crew had been exposed to German Measles (the Rubella virus) and, as Mattingly alone had no immunity to the disease, NASA did not want to chance him falling ill during any critical phases of the flight.

The mission was the third lunar landing attempt, but was aborted after the rupture of an oxygen tank on the spacecraft's service module. Swigert, along with fellow astronauts Jim Lovell and Fred Haise, returned safely to Earth on April 17 after approximately 5 days and 23 hours in space, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1970.

Swigert was originally suggested as the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project's Command Module Pilot, but was removed as punishment for his role in the Apollo 15 postage stamp scandal. Swigert was not involved in the controversial Apollo 15 stamp deal directly, but in the investigation that followed the scandal, he initially denied having any involvement in similar schemes. When evidence against him started to build up he confessed to Deke Slayton and was consequently considered to be undesirable from a public relations viewpoint.

He later became staff director of the Committee on Science and Technology of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Election to Congress

Swigert was elected as a Republican to Colorado's newly created Sixth Congressional District in November 1982. He defeated Democrat Steve Hogan, 98,909 votes (62.2 percent) to 56,518 (35.6 percent). In the campaign, Swigert had enjoyed the strong support of a former intraparty rival, then U.S. Senator William L. Armstrong of Colorado. Armstrong had defeated Swigert for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in 1978. The two thereafter became very close friends.

Death

Swigert died of bone cancer before he could take his oath of office. The position was hence won in a special election in 1983, by Swigert's fellow Republican Dan Schaefer (1936-2006). Schaefer also defeated Hogan, 49,816 (63.3 percent) to 27,779 (35.3 percent).

wigert's legacy

Swigert was the first moonbound Apollo astronaut to die, and was later followed by Pete Conrad (Apollo 12), Alan Shepard and Stuart Roosa (both Apollo 14), James Irwin (Apollo 15), and Ronald Evans (Apollo 17). He was also followed by Donn F. Eisele and Walter Schirra, both having flown on Apollo 7 but not to the Moon.

In 1988, Jack Swigert was nominated and inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame. [Holmes, Charles W., Editor, "Honoree Album of the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame", The Colorado Aviation Historical Society, 1999, Audubon Media Corp., Audobon, IA.]

In 1995, Swigert was portrayed by Kevin Bacon in the movie "Apollo 13".

In 1997, the state of Colorado submitted a statue of him to the National Statuary Hall Collection.

The Apollo/Skylab A7L spacesuit that Swigert wore on the Apollo 13 mission is currently on display in the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia.

References

External links

* [http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/swigert-jl.html NASA bio for Swigert] "Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections", U.S. House
* [http://www.uk.imdb.com/name/nm0842641/ Jack Swigert on IMDb]