Milt Windler, Apollo 13 flight director, dies at 94
Milt Windler, a key NASA flight director during the Apollo 13 mission, has died at the age of 94. He was instrumental in the efforts to safely return the astronauts to Earth.
Milt Windler, one of the NASA flight directors who guided the rescue of the Apollo 13 astronauts, has died at the age of 94. Windler played a critical role in Mission Control during the 1970 mission, overseeing the round-the-clock efforts to bring the crew home safely after an in-flight emergency.
Appointed as a NASA flight director in 1968, Windler had prior experience in recovery operations for the Mercury and Gemini programs. Before Apollo 13, he also led a shift of flight controllers for Apollo 8, the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon, and for Apollo 10, a dress rehearsal for a lunar landing.
His responsibilities extended to leading flight control teams for the Apollo 12, Apollo 14, and Apollo 15 lunar landing missions. Following these lunar missions, Windler served as a flight director for all three crewed flights to Skylab, the United States' first space station.
Windler's death was announced via a brief online notice. He passed away surrounded by his family.