Jim Lovell, the astronaut who commanded the famous Apollo 13 mission, has died, NASA announced Friday. He was 97.
Apollo 13, a 1970 flight to the moon, became known as a “successful failure” after the spacecraft experienced an oxygen tank explosion thousands of miles from Earth but managed to safely return home.
Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said in a statement that Lovell died Thursday in Lake Forest, Illinois. Duffy praised Lovell’s life and work, saying he inspired millions of people.
“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.
Lovell was the command module pilot for 1968’s Apollo 8 mission, the first to bring humans to the moon and back without landing on the lunar surface.
Bettmann 
In 1970, Lovell had a chance to go back to the moon with Apollo 13, but the mission abruptly changed with the explosion, forcing Lovell and crewmates Fred Haise and Jack Swigert to put their efforts toward returning to Earth safely.
“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 of Lovell.
NASA also shared a statement from Lovell’s family, saying, “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.”
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Source link
