Jim Lovell, the celebrated commander of the infamous Apollo 13 lunar mission, died on Thursday at age 97.
His death was announced on Friday in a statement from NASA, which celebrated his accomplishments during his time with the agency.
“NASA sends its condolences to the family of Capt. Jim Lovell’s life and work inspired millions across the decades. 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. We mourn his passing even as we celebrate his achievements,” acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said.
“From a pair of pioneering Gemini missions to the successes of Apollo, Jim helped our nation forge a historic path in space that carries us forward to upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond,” he added.
Lovell began his career in the Navy, graduating from the Naval Academy in 1952 and serving as a pilot in naval aviation. He became a test pilot in 1958, earning the attention of NASA soon after. As Command Module Pilot of Apollo 8, he was part of the first piloted spacecraft to exit the Earth’s gravitational orbit and fly to the moon.
Lovell’s ascent to fame came in April 1970, when he took command of the Apollo 13 mission. The mission, which was supposed to be the third landing on the moon, turned into one of the most dramatic space missions in history after an oxygen tank in the service module exploded two days into the mission, destroying the spacecraft. The mission quickly changed into a mad dash to get the three astronauts back home alive, a feat accomplished in no small part due to Lovell’s leadership. Upon his safe return, he was given a hero’s welcome, complete with a parade.
“As commander of the Apollo 13 mission, his calm strength under pressure helped return the crew safely to Earth and demonstrated the quick thinking and innovation that informed future NASA missions,” Duffy said in his statement.
“Jim Lovell embodied the bold resolve and optimism of both past and future explorers, and we will remember him always,” the interim NASA administrator concluded.
Lovell reached newfound fame 25 years after Apollo 13, when director Ron Howard made an Academy Award-winning film of the same name. Actor Tom Hanks played Lovell, while the astronaut appeared as himself briefly in a cameo.
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Lovell’s impact on popular culture was solidified when the famous line, “Houston, we have a problem,” was misattributed to him in the 1995 film and said by Tom Hanks. The quote is still used nearly daily to communicate a major issue across the U.S.
Lovell is one of 24 people to have flown to the moon, the first to do so without landing, and remains the only human in history to have flown to the moon twice without landing.
