Ken Mattingly, an astronaut and former Navy pilot, passed away at the age of 87. Mattingly joined NASA in 1966 and his first spaceflight came in 1972 when he piloted the command module of Apollo 16. He later commanded a test flight of the space shuttle Columbia in 1982 and the first space shuttle mission for the Department of Defense in 1985. However, Mattingly is best known for being removed from the crew of Apollo 13 due to potential exposure to German measles. Despite missing out on the mission, he played a vital role in helping the astronauts safely return to Earth after an oxygen tank explosion. Mattingly’s story was portrayed in the 1995 film “Apollo 13” with Gary Sinise playing his character. Mattingly was survived by his wife and son.