James "Jim" Lovell

Easton Press Jim Lovell books

Lost Moon - Jeff Kluger and James Lovell - signed first edition - 1994

Lost Moon - signed collector's edition - part of 6 volume astronaut set - 1997

Apollo 13 - Jeff Kluger and James Lovell - signed limited edition - 2005

 

 

Capt. James Lovell

James "Jim" Arthur Lovell, Jr., (March 25, 1928 – August 7, 2025 was a former NASA astronaut and captain in the United States Navy, most famous as the commander of the Apollo 13 mission, which suffered a critical failure en route to the Moon but was brought back safely to Earth by the efforts of the crew and mission control. Lovell was also the command module pilot of Apollo 8, the first Apollo mission to enter lunar orbit. Lovell is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is one of only 24 people to have flown to the Moon, the first of only three people to fly to the Moon twice, and the only one to have flown there twice without making a landing. Lovell was also the first person to fly in space four times.

Youth and education

Born in Cleveland, Ohio to a Czech mother, Lovell's family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he graduated from Juneau High School and became an Eagle Scout. His father died in a car accident when Lovell was young and, for about two years, he resided with a relative in Terre Haute, Indiana.

As a boy, Lovell was interested in rocketry, and built flying models.

Later he attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison for two years, joining the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity. He continued on to the United States Naval Academy and, after graduating in 1952, entered the United States Navy.

He married Marilyn Gerlach that same year and they have four children: Barbara (born in 1953), James (1955), Susan (1958), and Jeffrey (1966).

United States Navy

Upon completion of pilot training Lovell served at sea flying F2H Banshee night fighters. In January 1958, he entered a six-month test pilot training course at what was then the Naval Air Test Center (now the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland (also known as Pax River), along with Charles (Peter) Conrad and Wally Schirra. Lovell graduated first in his class.

Later that year, Lovell, Conrad and Schirra became three of 110 military test pilots selected as potential astronaut candidates for Project Mercury. Schirra went on to become one of the Mercury Seven, but Lovell and Conrad failed to make the cut for medical reasons: Lovell because of a temporarily high bilirubin count in his blood; and Conrad for refusing to take the second round of invasive medical tests. Lovell continued for four years at Pax River, using the call sign "Shaky", a nickname given him by Conrad.

NASA career

In 1962, NASA needed a second group of astronauts for the Gemini and Apollo programs. Lovell applied again, and this time was accepted into NASA Astronaut Group 2, as was Conrad.

Gemini program

Lovell was selected as backup Pilot for Gemini 4, which put him in position for his first space flight three missions later as Pilot of Gemini 7 with Command Pilot Frank Borman in December 1965. This flight set an endurance record of fourteen days in space, and also was the target vehicle for the first space rendezvous with Gemini 6A.

Lovell was later scheduled to be the backup Command Pilot of Gemini 10, but after the deaths of the Gemini 9 prime crew Elliot See and Charles Bassett, he replaced Thomas P. Stafford as backup commander of Gemini 9A. This again positioned Lovell for his second flight and first command, of Gemini 12 in November 1966 with Pilot Buzz Aldrin.

Lovell's two Gemini flights gave him more time in space than any other person as of 1966.

Apollo program:

Apollo 8

Lovell was originally chosen as Command Module Pilot on the backup crew for Apollo 9, planned as a high-apogee Earth orbital test of the Lunar Module, along with Neil Armstrong as Commander and Buzz Aldrin as Lunar Module Pilot. Lovell later replaced Michael Collins as CMP on the Apollo 9 prime crew, reuniting him with his Gemini 7 commander Frank Borman, and LM pilot William Anders, when Collins needed to have surgery for a bone spur on his spine.

But then, delays in construction of the first manned LM prevented it from being ready in time to fly on Apollo 8, planned as a low Earth orbit test. It was decided to swap the Apollo 8 and Apollo 9 prime and backup crews in the flight schedule so that the crew trained for the low-orbit test could fly it as Apollo 9, when the LM would be ready. The original Apollo 9 medium Earth orbit test was replaced with a lunar orbital flight, now Apollo 8. Borman, Lovell and Anders were launched on December 21, 1968, becoming the first men to travel to the Moon.

As CM Pilot, Lovell served as the navigator, using the spacecraft's built-in sextant to determine its position by measuring star positions. This information was then used to calculate required mid-course corrections. The craft entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve and made a total of ten orbits, most of them circular at an altitude of approximately 70 miles (110 km) for a total of twenty hours. They broadcast black-and-white television pictures of the lunar surface back to Earth, and Lovell took his turn with Borman and Anders in reading a passage from the Biblical creation story in the Book of Genesis.

They began their return to Earth on Christmas Day with a rocket burn made on the Moon's far side, out of radio contact with Earth. (For this reason, the lunar orbit insertion and trans-Earth injection burns were the two most tense moments of this first lunar mission.) When contact was re-established, Lovell was the first to announce the good news, "Please be informed, there is a Santa Claus." The crew splashed down safely on Earth December 27.

Apollo 13

Lovell was backup commander of Apollo 11 and was scheduled to command Apollo 14, but he and his crew swapped missions with the crew of Apollo 13, as it was felt the commander of the other crew, Alan Shepard, needed more time to train after having been grounded for a long period. Lovell lifted off aboard Apollo 13 on April 11, 1970 with CM Pilot Jack Swigert and LM Pilot Fred Haise. He and Haise were to land on the Moon.

But on April 13, while in Earth-Moon transit, a damaged heater coil in a cryogenic oxygen tank sparked during a routine tank stir. This quickly turned liquid oxygen into gas with a huge increase in pressure, which burst the tank and damaged a second tank, resulting in the loss of all stored oxygen in just over two hours. This disabled the fuel cell-driven electrical power system, crippling the Command/Service Module "Odyssey" and requiring immediate abort of the landing mission; the goal of the mission became safely returning to Earth.

Using the LM as a "life boat" providing power, oxygen and propulsion, Lovell and his crew immediately re-established the free return trajectory that they had left, and swung around the Moon to return home. Based on calculations made on Earth, Lovell had to adjust the course two times by manually controlling the Lunar Module's thrusters and engine, using his watch for timing. Apollo 13 returned safely to Earth on April 17. Lovell is one of only three men to travel to the Moon twice, but unlike John Young and Eugene Cernan, he never walked on it.

Lovell accrued over 715 hours, and had seen a total of 269 sunrises from space on his Gemini and Apollo flights. This was a personal record that stood until the Skylab 3 mission in July through September of 1973. It is also probable that Apollo 13's flight trajectory gives Lovell, Haise, and Swigert the record for the farthest distance that humans have ever travelled from Earth.

Later career

He retired from the Navy and the space program in 1973 and went to work at the Bay-Houston Towing Company in Houston, Texas, becoming CEO in 1975. He became president of Fisk Telephone Systems in 1977, and later worked for Centel, retiring as an executive vice president on January 1, 1991. Lovell, a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, later served as the President of the National Eagle Scout Association in the mid-1990s. He was also recognized by the Boy Scouts of America with their prestigious Silver Buffalo Award.

Along with Jeffrey Kluger, Lovell wrote a book about the Apollo 13 mission, Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13. This book was the basis for the later Ron Howard movie Apollo 13. Lovell's first impression on being approached about the film was that Kevin Costner would be a good choice to portray him, given the physical resemblance, but Tom Hanks was cast in the role. In order to prepare, Hanks visited Lovell and his wife at their house in Texas and even went for a ride with Lovell in his private airplane.

In the film, Lovell has a cameo as the captain of the USS Iwo Jima, the naval vessel that led the operation to recover the Apollo 13 astronauts after their successful splashdown. Lovell can be seen as the naval officer shaking Hanks' hand, as Hanks speaks in voice-over, in the scene in which the astronauts come aboard the Iwo Jima. Filmmakers initially offered to make Lovell's character an admiral aboard the ship (presumably Rear Admiral Donald C. Davis, Commander Task Force 130 (CTF 130), who was the senior officer aboard and welcomed them home). However, Lovell stated "I retired as a Captain and a Captain I will be", and thus he was cast as the ship's skipper, Captain Leland E. Kirkemo. Along with his wife, Marilyn, who also has a cameo in the film, he also provided a commentary track on both the single disc and the two-disc special edition DVD.

In 1999, Lovell, along with his family, opened "Lovell's of Lake Forest", a fine dining restaurant in Lake Forest, Illinois. The restaurant displays many artifacts from Lovell's time with NASA, as well as from the filming of Apollo 13. Lovell's son James "Jay" Lovell III is the executive chef.

Lovell also visits colleges and universities where he gives speeches on his experiences as an astronaut and businessman. He strongly urges students to get involved in science and the space program and he credits NASA in the 1960s with bringing much of the country together for a common goal.

In 2006, the Adler Planetarium in Chicago opened its "Shoot for the Moon" exhibit based on the life of Jim Lovell, along with the Gemini and Apollo programs; the exhibit features his Gemini 12 spacecraft and an extensive collection of his personal space artifacts. Many of his mementos and spacesuit elements have long been displayed at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, along with his Apollo 8 command module.

Tributes
A small crater on the far side of the Moon is named Lovell in his honor.

North James Lovell Street is the stretch of 7th Street between W. State Street and W. Clybourn Street in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The James Lovell Museum of Science is on N. James Lovell St. in downtown Milwaukee.

The Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center was completed in October 2010, merging the Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes and the North Chicago Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Lovell Place is a street in the North Harbour Industrial estate on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The streets are named after Apollo and some early Shuttle Astronauts. 

Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13

Lost Moon is a gripping and insightful book co-authored by astronaut Jim Lovell and journalist Jeffrey Kluger. Published in 1994, the book offers readers a compelling firsthand account of the harrowing Apollo 13 mission, providing valuable insights into one of the most dramatic moments in space exploration history.

Jim Lovell is a celebrated American astronaut and retired United States Navy captain, best known for his pivotal roles in the Gemini and Apollo space programs. His co-author, Jeffrey Kluger, is an accomplished journalist and science writer, known for his work covering space exploration and other scientific topics. Lost Moon chronicles the events leading up to the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission, which was intended to be the third manned lunar landing mission. However, just two days into the mission, an oxygen tank aboard the spacecraft exploded, crippling the command module and jeopardizing the lives of Lovell and his crewmates, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert. Through vivid storytelling and meticulous detail, Lovell and Kluger offer readers a behind-the-scenes look at the heroic efforts to bring the crew of Apollo 13 safely back to Earth. They recount the tense moments aboard the spacecraft as Lovell, Haise, and Swigert grappled with dwindling resources, plummeting temperatures, and the ever-present threat of disaster.

Lost Moon also delves into the efforts of the ground control team at NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, as they worked tirelessly to troubleshoot the myriad problems facing the crippled spacecraft and devise innovative solutions to ensure the crew's survival. The book pays tribute to the ingenuity, resourcefulness, and teamwork that ultimately led to the successful return of Apollo 13 to Earth.

Published in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission, Lost Moon offers readers a poignant and gripping account of one of the most dramatic moments in space exploration history. It is a testament to the courage, resilience, and indomitable spirit of the astronauts and ground control personnel who faced seemingly insurmountable odds and emerged victorious in the face of adversity. Lost Moon was later adapted into the acclaimed film Apollo 13, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell. The book's legacy continues to endure as a testament to the triumph of the human spirit and the enduring legacy of the Apollo program.

Apollo 13 Book

Apollo 13 is a gripping and detailed account of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission, co-authored by astronaut Jim Lovell and journalist Jeffrey Kluger. Published in 1994, the book offers readers a compelling firsthand narrative of one of the most dramatic moments in space exploration history. In Apollo 13, Lovell and Kluger provide readers with a vivid and immersive retelling of the events leading up to and following the harrowing incident that nearly ended in disaster. The book explores the meticulous planning and preparation that went into the mission, as well as the unforeseen challenges and setbacks that the crew encountered along the way. Central to the book is the story of the Apollo 13 mission itself, which was intended to be the third crewed lunar landing mission. However, just two days into the mission, an oxygen tank aboard the spacecraft exploded, crippling the command module and jeopardizing the lives of Lovell and his crewmates, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert.

Through meticulous research and access to firsthand accounts, Lovell and Kluger offer readers a behind-the-scenes look at the heroic efforts to bring the crew of Apollo 13 safely back to Earth. They recount the tense moments aboard the spacecraft as the crew grappled with dwindling resources, plummeting temperatures, and the ever-present threat of disaster. The book also delves into the efforts of the ground control team at NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, as they worked tirelessly to troubleshoot the myriad problems facing the crippled spacecraft and devise innovative solutions to ensure the crew's survival.

Published in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission, Apollo 13 offers readers a poignant and gripping account of one of the most dramatic moments in space exploration history. It is a testament to the courage, resilience, and ingenuity of the astronauts and ground control personnel who faced seemingly insurmountable odds and emerged victorious in the face of adversity. The book's legacy continues to endure as a testament to the triumph of the human spirit and the enduring legacy of the Apollo program. It serves as a reminder of the indomitable spirit of exploration that drives humanity's quest to explore the unknown.

Additional information and source: Jim Lovell