OBITUARY: Iconic Astronaut James Lovell, Apollo 13 Commander and Spaceflight Pioneer, Dies at 97

WATCH: Jim Lovell was part of the crew that survived the Apollo 13 mission, and is famous for the phrase: “Houston, we’ve had a problem”. One of NASA’s finest moments was recovering from an impossible mission, saving the crew of Apollo 13.

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James Lovell, the celebrated astronaut who guided the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission safely back to Earth, has died at the age of 97. NASA announced his passing on Friday, noting that Lovell died Thursday in Lake Forest, Illinois.

“Jim’s character and steadfast courage helped our nation reach the Moon and turned a potential tragedy into a success from which we learned an enormous amount,” NASA said in its tribute. “We mourn his loss even as we honor his achievements.”

Lovell’s career with NASA was remarkable, marked by four spaceflights: Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8, and Apollo 13. In 1968, as part of Apollo 8 with crewmates Frank Borman and William Anders, Lovell became one of the first humans to travel beyond Earth’s orbit and circle the Moon.

The mission produced the iconic “Earthrise” photograph and a memorable Christmas Eve broadcast that many Americans credited with offering hope in a turbulent year.

Two years later came the mission that would define Lovell’s legacy. Apollo 13 was intended to make him the fifth person to walk on the Moon, but an oxygen tank explosion en route turned the lunar landing into a fight for survival.

With their spacecraft crippled, Lovell and fellow astronauts Fred Haise and Jack Swigert endured four days in the cold, cramped lunar module while NASA engineers on the ground devised a plan to get them home.

Their safe return transformed the near-disaster into one of NASA’s finest moments and inspired the 1995 film Apollo 13, in which Tom Hanks portrayed Lovell.

A former Navy captain known for his calm under pressure, Lovell often downplayed any heroics.

“In some sense, it was very much of a success,” he reflected years later. “Not that we accomplished the mission, but that we proved the capability of the people at NASA.”

By the mid-1970s, Lovell held the record for the most time spent in space—over 715 hours—until surpassed by Skylab astronauts. His contributions to space exploration were recognized in 1995 when President Bill Clinton awarded him the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, praising his courage and leadership.

Born on March 25, 1928, in Cleveland, Lovell attended the University of Wisconsin before transferring to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1952.

He married his wife, Marilynn, the same day he graduated. Selected as an astronaut in 1962, Lovell retired from the Navy and NASA in 1973, later co-authoring Lost Moon with journalist Jeffrey Kluger, the book that inspired Apollo 13. He also briefly ran a restaurant, Lovell’s of Lake Forest, in Illinois.

Lovell’s wife of 71 years, Marilynn, died in 2023. He is survived by their four children.

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