Astronaut Ken Mattingly, who flew to the moon on Apollo 16, has died at 87

Retired astronaut Ken Mattingly has died. He's pictured (center) with crewmates Jim Lovell (left) and Fred Haise (right) at a news conference about a mission he ended up missing, the ill-fated Apollo 13. (Ed Kolenovsky/AP)

Astronaut Ken "T.K." Mattingly has died. He circled the moon as command module pilot on Apollo 16 and later flew the space shuttle. But he's probably best known for the mission he didn't get to fly: the ill-fated Apollo 13. He died Tuesday, Oct. 31 and his death was announced Thursday by NASA in a news release. Mattingly was 87.

"We lost one of our country's heroes on Oct. 31. NASA astronaut TK Mattingly was key to the success of our Apollo Program, and his shining personality will ensure he is remembered throughout history," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.