Al Reinert Dies: Oscar-Nominated ‘Apollo 13’ Screenwriter Was 71

Al Reinert, who covered NASA for the Houston Chronicle and went on to co-write the screenplay for Apollo 13 which earned him an Oscar nomination, has died.

He was 71.

Reinert died New Year’s Eve of complications of cancer at his home in Wimberley, Texas, the Houston Chronicle reported.Reinert began his career as a crime reporter for the Chronicle, then moved into covering NASA in the 1970s where he discovered his love and fascination for space.

He directed the 1989 documentary film For All Mankind, which earned him his first Oscar nomination for best documentary feature.

The film concentrates on the beauty of the Earth as seen from space, along with interviews with Apollo crew members and mission control staff played over original mission footage.Reinert told the Houston Chronicle in a 2015 interview that he didn’t want For All Mankind to be a traditional documentary with talking heads.“Tom Hanks

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