1. Jack Swigert won the election for Colorado's new 6th district in 1982, but died before being sworn in.
30 Facts About Jack Swigert
1. 2.
Jack Swigert took on a newspaper route to earn money for flying lessons, and by age 16 he was a licensed private pilot.
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Jack Swigert was a member of the Boy Scouts of America and attained the rank of Second Class Scout.
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Jack Swigert attended Blessed Sacrament School, Regis Jesuit High School and East High School, from which he graduated in 1949.
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Jack Swigert received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from University of Colorado in 1953, where he played football for the Buffaloes.
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Jack Swigert later earned a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1965, and a Master of Business Administration degree from University of Hartford in 1967.
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Jack Swigert held a position as engineering test pilot for North American Aviation before joining NASA.
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Jack Swigert logged over 7,200 hours in flight, including more than 5,725 hours in jet aircraft.
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Jack Swigert became a specialist on the Apollo command module: he was one of the few astronauts who requested to be command module pilots.
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Jack Swigert was a member of Apollo 7's astronaut support crew, the first support crew for an Apollo mission; he served as Capsule communicator during the ascent phase of the flight.
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Jack Swigert was one of three astronauts aboard the Apollo 13 Moon mission launched April 11,1970.
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Jack Swigert was the astronaut who first announced, "Houston, we've had a problem here".
13.
Slayton felt Jack Swigert deserved another chance to fly after having been selected for Apollo 13 two days before launch, and performing well.
14.
Aware that his spaceflight career was most likely over, Jack Swigert took a leave of absence from NASA in April 1973 and went to Washington, DC to become executive director of the Committee on Science and Astronautics, US House of Representatives.
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Jack Swigert eventually left NASA and the committee in August 1977 to enter politics.
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Jack Swigert ran for the US Senate in 1978, but was soundly defeated in the Republican primary in September by Congressman Bill Armstrong, who was far better known.
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Jack Swigert left in 1981 to join International Gold and Minerals Limited as vice president for financial and corporate affairs.
18.
In February 1982, Jack Swigert left International Gold and Minerals Limited to run for US Congress in the newly created 6th district as a Republican.
19.
Jack Swigert was the last member-elect of the House to die before taking office until Luke Letlow's death from COVID-19 in December 2020.
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Jack Swigert received the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Octave Chanute Award for 1966 for his participation in demonstrating the Rogallo wing as a feasible land landing system for returning space vehicles and astronauts.
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Jack Swigert received the City of Houston Medal for Valor, 1970.
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Jack Swigert received the American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award for 1970.
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Jack Swigert was given University of Colorado-Boulder's Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award in 1970.
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Jack Swigert was presented an Honorary Doctorate of Science degree from American International College in 1970, an Honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from Western State University in 1970, and an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Western Michigan University in 1970.
25.
In 1983, Jack Swigert was among 14 Apollo astronauts inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame.
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In 1988, Jack Swigert was inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame.
27.
In 1995, Jack Swigert was portrayed by Kevin Bacon in Ron Howard's film Apollo 13.
28.
Jack Swigert was elected in September 2003 to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Alumni Hall of Fame.
29.
In 1997, a statue of Jack Swigert made by George and Mark Lundeen was placed on display in the US Capitol Building as one of two statues given by the state of Colorado to the National Statuary Hall Collection.
30.
Jack Swigert was a fellow of the American Astronautical Society; associate fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and member of the Quiet Birdmen, Phi Gamma Delta, Pi Tau Sigma, and Sigma Tau.