Unlike most of his astronaut colleagues, Swigert was single and had the reputation of being a playboy who liked to party. All members of the prime crew were exposed to German Measles (the rubella virus) and astronaut Ken Mattingly, it turned out, had no natural immunity to the disease.Swigert replaced Mattingly and joined the crew consisting of James A. Lovell, Jr. and Fred W. Haise, Jr. But there was one important thing he had forgotten to do before leaving home: his income taxes. He — it is true — he had not trained for the last month and a half because normally the backup crew at that stage are the gofers," Lovell said in aIt was a whirlwind few days for Swigert, who soon found himself aboard a spacecraft speeding away from Earth. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, John L. “Jack” Swigert, pictured in a 1971 NASA photo. email digishowbiz@the-sun.co.uk or call us direct on 02077824220.
Photo Credit: Wire photo, undatedJohn Leonard Swigert was born Aug. 30, 1931, in Denver, Colo. He was also one of the engineering test pilots at North American Aviation before NASA came calling.In April 1973, he applied for a leave of absence from NASA to serve as the executive director of the Committee on Science and Astronautics, U.S. House of Representatives. But ultimately, he was a fighter who didn’t surrender, despite encountering tremendous adversity. As per his request, he was given the opportunity to serve as a specialist on the Apollo Command Module.The events involving Apollo 13 came about at a time when the US had already won the “Space Race” over its Cold War rival Soviet Russia. View this post on Instagram . However, Swigert earned a degree in mechanical engineering from UC; he also held two master’s degrees (one in aerospace engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Hartford).
Swigert then resigned from NASA and the committee in 1977 to make a run for the U.S. Senate. He also received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.He was posthumously inducted into both the International Space Hall of Fame in 1983 and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997.Space Foundation, in partnership with Colorado Springs District 11, founded the Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy on August 18, 2009.Those who knew Jack Swigert called him the “epitome of good manners.” A lifelong bachelor, he was optimistic, intense, and had a distinctive sense of humour. Swigert was convinced he could beat the cancer because it was initially diagnosed as an easily treatable lymphoma, reported the Swigert was honored with numerous awards throughout his career, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and medals from the cities of New York and Houston. He was a real skirt chaser and playboy. Jack Swigert had previously applied for NASA’s second and third astronaut selections but did not get picked. In the latter nation, he would experience his first brush with death. An oxygen tank explosion almost 56 hours into the flight shook the spacecraft, and the crew notified Mission Control, with Swigert famously saying, "Okay, Houston, we've had a problem here. He had two sisters, Virginia Spinelli and Elizabeth Berube.Having spent the majority of his youth in the areas surrounding the Combs Field, a small airfield in Denver, Swigert watched the planes take off all day long.
In February 1982, he submitted his resignation to contest for a seat in the US Congress.He became the inaugural Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 6th district, soundly defeating his Democratic opponent with 64% of popular vote. TheWhile Swigert the man was gone, the image of him as a bachelor who suddenly ascended to dizzying heights remained, particularly in Who was Jack Swigert? They returned safely to the Earth after spending five days and 22 hours in space.He was meant to be part of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project as the command module pilot but having been implicated in the Apollo 15 postage stamp incident, he was cut out from the crew rotation.The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) presented Jack Swigert with the Octave Chanute Award in 1966 and the Haley Astronautics Award in 1971.In 1970, Swigert was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his distinguished career. Not only he thrived in his studies, but was a talented athlete as well.
“Well, Jack has a girl in every air port, from coast to coast.” Mr. Swigert, who has been flying planes for 22 of his 38 years, is known in many quarters as a rambunctious bachelor. At 14, he developed a deep interest in aviation and wasn’t satisfied by just watching them anymore. Before his death, he said: “I believe God measures your life. The former couple has two sons Harrison (1994) and Peter (1990).
The seventh manned mission in the Apollo space program and the third intended to land on the Moon, Apollo 13 faced multitude of problems from the very start.