Apollo 16 astronaut Thomas K. Mattingly II dies at 87

Thomas K. Mattingly II, a NASA astronaut who helped bring Apollo 13 home, is dead at 87. Mattingly II died on Oct. 31, according to a press release from NASA. NASA selected him as an astronaut in 1966. He served as a support member for astronauts flying Apollo 8 and 11 missions. Mattingly, a designated command module pilot for Apollo 13, was removed from the flight due to exposure to measles. Although he couldn’t make the flight, the Chicago-born aviator was vital to “successfully bring(ing) home the wounded spacecraft and the crew of Apollo 13 – NASA astronauts James Lovell, Jack Swigert, and...