Jack Swigert

Jack Swigert (1931–1982) was an American astronaut and engineer who piloted the Apollo 13 command module and was elected to the U.S. House from Colorado in 1982.

Apollo 13: NASA’s 1970 lunar mission returned its crew safely after an oxygen tank explosion crippled the spacecraft. Swigert joined this mission as command module pilot and helped bring the damaged spacecraft home.
Apollo command and service module: The Apollo spacecraft that carried astronauts to lunar orbit and back, comprising a crewed command module and a service module. Swigert’s command-module duties were part of this larger spacecraft system.
Jim Lovell: American astronaut who commanded Apollo 13 and flew on two Gemini missions and two Apollo missions. Lovell commanded Apollo 13 while Swigert served as command module pilot.
United States House of Representatives: The lower chamber of the U.S. Congress, whose members are elected from congressional districts. Swigert was elected to this institution in 1982 but died before his term began.
Apollo 13 oxygen tank explosion: The 1970 rupture of an oxygen tank crippled Apollo 13’s service module and ended its planned lunar landing. The explosion forced Swigert and his crewmates to abandon their lunar landing and improvise a return.
Apollo Lunar Module: The spacecraft designed to carry two Apollo astronauts between lunar orbit and the Moon’s surface. The crew used Apollo 13’s lunar module as a lifeboat after the service module was damaged.
Fred Haise: American astronaut who piloted the Apollo 13 lunar module and later commanded the Space Shuttle Enterprise test flights. Haise shared the Apollo 13 emergency with Swigert and operated the lunar module lifeboat.
Apollo 13 mission control: The NASA flight-control team in Houston that monitored Apollo 13 and advised its crew during the emergency. Swigert’s spacecraft operations depended on coordinated troubleshooting with mission control.
Apollo 13 command module: The Apollo 13 spacecraft module that housed the crew during launch and Earth reentry. Swigert piloted this spacecraft component, which the crew preserved for the final return to Earth.
Apollo Guidance Computer: A digital computer that guided Apollo spacecraft navigation and control using compact, real-time software. Apollo astronauts relied on its guidance functions during navigation and the command module’s return.

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Ken MattinglyCompared with: Swigert took the seat that Mattingly had trained for after the crew change.