Glynn Lunney, NASA flight director who played key role in Apollo 13, has died at age 84

Glynn S. Lunney, a legendary NASA flight director who went on duty moments after the Apollo 13 spacecraft exploded on the way to the moon and who played a pivotal role bringing the crew safely back to Earth, died Friday after a long illness. He was 84.

The death of Lunney, who was known to have battled leukemia in recent years, was confirmed by NASA. Beginning his career fresh out of college in 1958, Lunney helped devise the complex, rigorously followed flight rules used to govern missions through the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, and became NASA's fourth flight director under the tutelage of the man who defined the role, Christopher Kraft.