Astronaut From Fateful Apollo 13 Mission Dies at 97

Photo: Melanie Cox / U.S. Air Force via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Astronaut Jim Lovell, the commander who brought the crew of the Apollo 13 home after a near-catastrophe, has died at 97. His contributions were key to the success and the legacy of the space program in the 1960s, from taking on perilous missions for the sake of science to beating the odds when all hope seemed lost. Thanks to this, he rose to fame as a bona fide American hero.

Lovell’s passing was announced by his family via a statement, praising his storied career as a navy pilot and officer, leader, and space explorer. “We are enormously proud of his amazing life and career accomplishments, highlighted by his legendary leadership in pioneering human space flight,” his family wrote. “But, to all of us, he was Dad, Granddad, and the Leader of our family. Most importantly, he was our Hero. We will miss his unshakeable optimism, his sense of humor, and the way he made each of us feel we could do the impossible. He was truly one of a kind.”

Following a lifelong obsession with rockets and after getting his start in the Navy, Lovell applied to NASA in 1958. Four years later, he was selected as part of the “New Nine,” an elite group of astronauts at the forefront of the mission to take mankind to the moon.

Additionally, Lovell was part of several breakthrough projects and landmark moments in the history of space flight. He was part of the Gemini 7 mission, which sought to determine if humans could survive two weeks in space—the amount of time needed for making it to the moon. With Gemini 12, Lovell and Buzz Aldrin confirmed astronauts could safely work outside a spacecraft. He was also part of Apollo 8, the first spaceflight to orbit the moon and the team that captured the breathtaking Earthrise image.

When Lovell lifted off with the Apollo 13 crew in 1970, he became the first man to ever travel twice to the moon. While he was bound to set foot on our satellite this time, an explosion in the spacecraft damaged oxygen tanks and shut off the power. This jeopardized not only the mission, but also the lives of the astronauts on board. When command module pilot John L. Swigert was asked to repeat to NASA what he had just said about the emerging issues, Lovell enunciated a now world-famous phrase: “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” (This line is often misquoted as “Houston, we have a problem.”)

Once the crew realized what was going on, they quickly got to work to find a safe way home. The plan was to use the lunar module, which was undamaged, and huddle there before it was time for the dangerous reentry. Meanwhile, they pushed through near-freezing temperatures, and improvised with the little resources they had to remain hydrated and breathing safe air. They also relied on the moon’s gravity to execute a slingshot maneuver that would put them on a path back to Earth.

The world followed the desperate rescue efforts closely, not knowing if the astronauts would make it. But thanks to Lovell’s leadership and relentless optimism, the crew returned safely, and their story reignited interest in space travel. People tuned in to the story once again in 1995, when the movie Apollo 13, starring Tom Hanks as Lovell, retold the plight of the astronauts in an epic fashion. In the movie, Lovell made a cameo as Capt. Leland E. Kirkemo, who greeted them after their splashdown.

“There are people who dare, who dream, and who lead others to the places we would not go on our own,” Hanks wrote on Instagram in a tribute to the late astronaut. “Jim Lovell, who for a long while had gone farther into space and for longer than any other person of our planet, was that kind of guy. His many voyages around Earth and on to so-very-close to the moon were not made for riches or celebrity, but because such challenges as those are what fuels the course of being alive—and who better than Jim Lovell to make those voyages. God speed you, on this next voyage, Jim Lovell.”

Astronaut Jim Lovell, the commander who brought the crew of Apollo 13 home safely after a near-catastrophe, has died at 97.

Jim Lovell photographed inside his Gemini spacecraft during the Gemini-12 mission. (Photo: NASA via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Thanks to Lovell’s leadership and relentless optimism, the crew returned safely and their story reignited interest in space travel.

Photo: NASA via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

His contributions were key to the success and the legacy of the space program in the 1960s, from taking on perilous missions for the sake of science to beating the odds when all hope seemed lost.

Fred Haise, Jim Lovell, and Ken Mattingly pose in front of the launch pad.(Photo: NASA via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

“We are enormously proud of his amazing life and career accomplishments, highlighted by his legendary leadership in pioneering human space flight,” his family wrote.