A legendary astronaut who commanded the almost doomed Apollo 13 lunar mission has passed away at the age of 97.
Jim Lovell helped turn the 1970 failed moon mission into a success by safely bringing the crew back to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded.
NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced the commander’s passing, saying the astronaut’s life and work ‘inspired millions of people 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,’ Duffy said. ‘We mourn his passing even as we celebrate his achievements.
‘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.’
Lovell was a veteran of four spaceflights: Gemini VII, Gemini XII, Apollo 8 and Apollo 13.
Born in Ohio, he graduated from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, becoming a test pilot.
Lovell served as a flight instructor and safety officer until 1963, when NASA selected him for a crewed space program.
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Jim Lovell, a veteran of four space missions, helped turn a failed moon mission into a success by safely bringing the crew back to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded
The 1968 Apollo 8 crew, with Lovell, Frank Borman and William Anders, was the first to leave Earth’s orbit and the first to fly to and circle the moon.
Though they could not land on the lunar surface, their mission still put the US ahead of the Soviets in the space race.
Letter writers said the crew’s historic “pale blue dot” photo of Earth from the moon, a world first, and their Christmas Eve reading from Genesis helped lift America during the turbulent year.
That year saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr and Robert F Kennedy, the Tet Offensive in Vietnam and widespread protests against the Vietnam War and for civil rights.
The three astronauts broadcast a reading about Jesus’ birth to a worldwide television audience.
They each read portions of the first 10 verses of Genesis, marking a historic moment in space exploration and a cultural touchstone.
‘As the Command Module Pilot for Apollo 8, Jim and his crewmates became the first to lift off on a Saturn V rocket and orbit the Moon, proving that the lunar landing was within our reach, Duffy shared.
‘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.’
