James A. Lovell
Jim Lovell was a veteran of the Gemini VII, Gemini XII, and Apollo 8 missions before becoming the Mission Commander for the nearly disastrous Apollo 13 mission to the Moon.
Quick Facts
Lovell joined NASA in 1962 as part of its second group of astronauts.
Lovell’s first space flight was Gemini 7.
During Lovell’s four missions he logged 715 hours in space, a record that stood until surpassed by Skylab crew members in 1973.
Lovell’s Apollo 13 crew included John L. “Jack” Swigert Jr. and Fred W. Haise Jr.
Lovell has logged more than 7,000 hours in a variety of aircraft, including 3,500 hours in high-performance jets.
A statement from the family of Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell on his passing:
“We are saddened to announce the passing of our beloved father, USN Captain James A. “Jim” Lovell, a Navy pilot and officer, astronaut, leader, and space explorer. He was 97.
We are enormously proud of his amazing life and career accomplishments, highlighted by his legendary leadership in pioneering human space flight. 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.”
Biography
James A. Lovell
Learn more about Astronaut James A. Lovell, including when he was selected by NASA to be an astronaut, his flight experience, education, background and more.
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Gemini VII
Gemini 7 was the fourth crewed Earth-orbiting spacecraft of the Gemini series, having been launched before Gemini 6A.
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Apollo 8
Apollo 8 'Round the moon and back…" The mission objectives for Apollo 8 included a coordinated performance of the crew, the command and service module, or CSM, and the support…
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