Ken Mattingly, who commanded a number of NASA shuttle missions, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 87.
His death was confirmed by NASA Spokesperson Cheryl Warner, however, she didn't mention the cause or the location of death.
Mattingly started his career with NASA in 1966 and conducted his flying career in April 1972 with the launch of Apollo 16, which became the last unmanned mission to the moon.
He conducted the pilot of the spacecraft’s command module and took extensive photos of the moon’s terrain.
He also conducted experiments while John W. Young and Charles M. Duke Jr. collected rock and soil samples from highlands near the crater known as Descartes.
After the end of the Apollo program, Mattingly headed the astronaut support office for the shuttle program.
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