Astronaut Profile
Fred W. Haise Jr.
Lunar Module Pilot
Fred Haise trained to become the sixth person to walk on the Moon as Apollo 13's Lunar Module Pilot, only for an oxygen tank explosion to turn the mission into a fight to get home alive.
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Lunar Module Pilot • Living
Biography
The person behind the mission
Fred W. Haise Jr. was a United States Marine Corps and Air Force pilot, test pilot, and NASA astronaut who flew Apollo 13 as Lunar Module Pilot. He helped power up and operate the Lunar Module Aquarius after it became the crew's emergency lifeboat, and endured some of the mission's harshest conditions, including near-freezing cabin temperatures and a urinary tract infection brought on by limited water rations. Haise never flew in space again, but he went on to pilot the Space Shuttle Enterprise during its 1977 Approach and Landing Tests, helping prove the shuttle could glide safely to a runway landing.
Astronaut Details
Born
November 14, 1933
Birthplace
Biloxi, Mississippi, USA
Role
Lunar Module Pilot
Program
Apollo
Time in Space
5 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes
EVA Time
None
Missions
Apollo 13
Recognition
Awards & Honors
- Presidential Medal of Freedom
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- NASA Space Flight Medal