John L. “Jack” Swigert

Mr. Swigert was one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966. He served as a member of the astronaut support crew for the Apollo 7 mission. Mr. Swigert was next assigned to the Apollo 13 backup crew and subsequently called upon to replace prime crewman Thomas K. Mattingly as command module pilot. (The substitution was announced 72 hours prior to launch of the mission following Mattingly’s exposure to the German measles.)

Quick Facts

Mr. Swigert was one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966.

Swigert was assigned to the Apollo 13 backup crew but ended up replacing Thomas K. Mattingly 72 hours prior to launch of the mission following Mattingly’s exposure to the German measles.

With Apollo 13, Swigert logged a total of 142 hours, 54 minutes in space.

December 1971 — Astronaut John L. Swigert Jr.
NASA

(11 April 1970) — Astronaut John L. Swigert Jr., command module pilot for the Apollo 13 mission, has just suited up in the Kennedy Space Center’s (KSC) Manned Spacecraft Operations Building during the Apollo 13 prelaunch countdown. Minutes later, astronauts Swigert, James A. Lovell Jr. and Fred W. Haise Jr. rode a special transport van over to Pad A, Launch Complex 39, where their spacecraft awaited liftoff. Launch occurred at 2:13 p.m. (EST), April 11, 1970.

apollo_13_crew — Apollo 13 crew members James Lovell, John “Jack” Swigert, and Fred Haise.
NASA

Apollo 13 astronauts Fred Haise, John Swigert, and James Lovell are pictured during the press conference after their ill-fated mission. The Apollo 13 mission (the third lunar landing mission) was aborted after 56 hours of flight, 205,000 miles from Earth, when an oxygen tank in the service module exploded.
NASA

19 April 1970 — President Richard M. Nixon speaks at Hickham Air Force Base prior to presenting the nation’s highest civilian award to the Apollo 13 crew. Receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom were astronauts James A. Lovell Jr., (next to the Chief Executive), commander; John L. Swigert Jr. (left), command module pilot; and Fred W. Haise Jr., lunar module pilot. Wives of Lovell and Haise and the parents of Swigert accompanied the President to Hawaii. The Apollo 13 splashdown occurred at 12:07:44 p.m. (CST), April 17, 1970, about a day and a half prior to the Hickam Air Force Base ceremonies.
NASA

Biography

John L. "Jack" Swigert

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(11 April 1970) — Astronaut John L. Swigert Jr., command module pilot for NASA’s third lunar landing mission, appears to be relaxing in the suiting room at Kennedy Space Center prior to launch.

NASA

Mission

All Crewed Missions

Apollo 13

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Apollo 13: The Successful Failure

On April 11, 1970, the powerful Saturn V rocket carrying the Apollo 13 mission launched from Kennedy Space Center propelling astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert on what was intended to be humanity’s third lunar landing. Unfortunately, the mission to explore the Fra Mauro region of the Moon did not go as planned. What many viewed as a now “routine” mission soon had millions around the globe glued to television sets watching and hoping for a positive outcome for one of the most intense episodes in the history of space exploration.

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