Famed NASA astronaut Jim Lovell, who commanded the harrowing Apollo 13 mission that was forced to abandon a lunar landing attempt in 1970, has died. He was 97.

Once America's most experienced astronaut, Apollo 13's Jim Lovell, who died at 97, was the first to visit the moon twice.

Tom Hanks posted a tribute on social media to James Lovell, who died on Aug. 7. Lovell was a NASA astronaut known for commanding the troubled Apollo 13 mission. That mission was turned into a hit 1995 film from director Ron Howard starring Hanks as Lovell.