Ken Mattingly is a former NASA astronaut and naval aviator, best known for his role in the Apollo 16 mission. Born on March 17, 1936, in Chicago, Illinois, he became a test pilot and joined NASA in 1966. Mattingly was originally slated to fly on the Apollo 13 mission but was replaced due to exposure to German measles. After his time with NASA, Mattingly continued his career in the aerospace industry and served as a senior executive at The Boeing Company. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to space exploration and remains a prominent figure in the history of human spaceflight.