This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its unique location you’ll be able to go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/08/08/apollo-13-part-jim-lovell-nasa-career/85581585007/
and if you wish to take away this text from our website please contact us
Lovell commanded the primary crew to orbit the moon and saved Apollo 13 mission
Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell dies at 97 in Lake Forest
Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, famed for his Gemini and Apollo missions, dies at 97 in Lake Forest, Illinois.
One of simply 24 individuals to have flown to the moon, famed Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell was the primary particular person to fly there twice, however by no means landed on its rocky floor.
Lovell, who died Aug. 7 at age 97, is finest recognized for captaining the Apollo 13 mission safely again to earth after a devastating onboard explosion, saving his personal life, his crew and maybe America’s area program.
Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy stated in an Aug. 8 assertion that Lovell’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.”
But Lovell achieved excess of simply rescuing one mission.
Who was Jim Lovell?
As a part of the Gemini and Apollo applications, Lovell was the primary astronaut to go to area 4 occasions. He was the Mission Commander for the practically disastrous Apollo 13 mission to the moon.
According to his NASA biography, Lovell held the document for time in area with a complete of 715 hours and 5 minutes ‒ slightly below a month ‒ till surpassed by the Skylab flights in 1973 and 1974, the place scientists carried out experiments whereas circling the planet for months.
Gemini
Lovell was a pilot on the record-breaking 14-day flight of Gemini 7 in 1965, which joined with Gemini 6 for the primary profitable area rendezvous.
In 1966, Lovell was command pilot for the flight of Gemini 12, the final mission of the Gemini sequence, which remained in orbit for 4 days.
Apollo 8
Lovell served as command module pilot for 1968’s Apollo 8 mission, which was the primary to deliver people to the moon and again with out touchdown on the lunar floor.
On that mission, Lovell and his crew turned the primary individuals to depart Earth’s gravitational affect, elevate off on a Saturn V rocket and orbit the moon.
Apollo 13
In 1970, Lovell had an opportunity to return to the moon as commander of the Apollo 13 mission, anticipated to be the nation’s third lunar touchdown.
The explosion of an oxygen tank pressured Lovell and crewmates Fred Haise and Jack Swigert to abort the mission and put their efforts towards returning to Earth safely because the command module vented oxygen into area.
During the chaos he uttered the phrase now typically misquoted as, “Houston, we have a problem.”
According to NASA, what really occurred was that Swigert known as Mission Control seconds after the explosion and stated: “Okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”
Capsule communicator (Capcom) astronaut Jack R. Lousma replied, “This is Houston. Say again, please.”
Lovell stated: “Ah, Houston, we’ve had a problem here. We’ve had a Main B Bus Undervolt.”
Working carefully with Houston floor controllers, the three males transformed their lunar module “Aquarius” into a lifeboat and were able to activate and operate lunar module systems to safely return to Earth.
Smilin’ Jim
Lovell was known for his turn of phrase, which earned him the nickname Smilin’ Jim from his fellow astronauts because he was quick with a grin when he had a particularly funny comeback, Duffy said in his statement.
In a 2014 NPR interview, Lovell said his greatest impression from the Apollo 8 mission was not looking down at the moon but seeing the Earth.
“Just a small ball,” he said, “Blue and white. Like a Christmas tree ball hung in a fully black sky. I may put my thumb up and utterly conceal the Earth. Everything I knew was behind my thumb.”
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its unique location you’ll be able to go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/08/08/apollo-13-part-jim-lovell-nasa-career/85581585007/
and if you wish to take away this text from our website please contact us
