Jack Swigert

John Leonard Swigert, Jr.
NASA Astronaut
Nationality	American
Born	August 30, 1931 Denver, Colorado
Died	Washington D.C.
Other occupation	Test Pilot
Time in space	5d 22h 54m 16s
Selection	1966 NASA Group
Missions	Apollo 13
Mission insignia

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

Before joining NASA, Swigert was a test pilot. After leaving NASA, he was elected to the US Congress, but died before being sworn in.

Education

Swigert attended the Blessed Sacrament School, Regis Jesuit High School, and East High School. He graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he played varsity football and earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. He earned 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.

Pilot

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. After leaving active duty, Swigert was a 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.

Astronaut

Swigert was accepted into the NASA Apollo program in April 1966. At that time, he was the only bachelor astronaut in the United States space program.

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 3 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 was the astronaut who made the famous dramatic announcement, "Houston, we've had a problem here".^[1] 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 later that year. Due to the free return trajectory on this mission, it is probable that Lovell, Swigert and Haise hold the record for the greatest distance that human beings have ever traveled from Earth.

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.

Politics

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

Swigert was elected as a Republican to Colorado's newly created 6th 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 Republican Dan Schaefer (1936–2006). Schaefer also defeated Hogan, 49,816 (63.3 percent) to 27,779 (35.3 percent).

Swigert's legacy

• In June 1986, the Jack Swigert Space Operations Facility was dedicated in memory of Jack Swigert. It is located at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado.^[2]
• In 1988, Jack Swigert was nominated and inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame.^[3]
• In 2009 Emerson Middle School in Colorado Springs was renamed the Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy, with a parnership with the Space Foundation to provide a space-focused curriculum.
• 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.
• In 2004, the Space Foundation launched the John L. "Jack" Swigert, Jr., Award for Space Exploration,^[4] which is presented annually to an individual, group or organization that has made a significant contribution to space exploration. Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., the Space Foundation was founded in 1983 in part to honor the memory and accomplishments of Swigert. Winners include: 2009 - NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander Team; 2008 - Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency; 2007 - The California Institute of Technology; 2006 - NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory; 2005 - NASA's Mars Exploration Team from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory; 2004 - President George W. Bush.
• The Apollo/Skylab A7L spacesuit that Swigert wore on the Apollo 13 mission is currently on display in the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia.
• In December 2008 John Swigert's statue was moved and displayed in Emancipation Hall at the United States Capitol Visitor Center^[5]
• In September 2003, John L. Swigert Jr. was elected to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Alumni Hall of Fame ^[6]

References

• NASA bio for Swigert

External links

• Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections, U.S. House
• Jack Swigert on IMDb
• John L. "Jack" Swigert, Jr., Award for Space Exploration