| John Leonard Swigert, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| NASA Astronaut | |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | August 30, 1931 Denver, Colorado |
| Died | December 27, 1982 (aged 51) 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 the 24 persons who have flown to the Moon.
Before joining NASA, Swigert was a test pilot. After leaving NASA, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, but died before being sworn in.
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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.
He served in the United States Air Force from 1953 to 1956. After completing 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 (1957–1964) and North American Aviation (1964–1966). 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 unsuccessfully applying for NASA's second and third astronaut selections,[1] Swigert was accepted into the astronaut corps as part of NASA Astronaut Group 5, in April 1966. Swigert became a specialist on the Apollo command module: he was one of the few astronauts who requested to be command-module pilots.[1]
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 three days before launch, replacing astronaut Ken Mattingly. The prime crew had been exposed to German Measles (the rubella virus) and, because Mattingly alone had no immunity to the disease, NASA did not want to risk his falling ill during any critical phases of the flight. Incidentally, this made Swigert the first American bachelor astronaut to fly in space.
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".[2] Swigert, along with fellow astronauts Jim Lovell and Fred Haise, returned safely to Earth on April 17 after about 5 days and 23 hours in space, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom later that year. Because of the free return trajectory on this mission, it is likely that Lovell, Swigert, and Haise hold the record for the greatest distance that human beings have 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 began to build, he confessed to Deke Slayton and was consequently considered undesirable from a public-relations view.
| Jack Swigert | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 6th district |
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| Preceded by | district created |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Schaefer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 30, 1931 Denver, Colorado |
| Died | December 27, 1982 (aged 51) Washington D.C. |
| Political party | Republican |
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.
In 1982, during his political campaign, Swigert developed a malignant tumor in his right nasal passage. He underwent surgery, but the cancer spread to his bone marrow and lungs. He was hospitalized at Georgetown University Hospital on 19 December, and died of respiratory failure on 27 December, eight days before the beginning of his Congressional term.[1]
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).
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