Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell dies: NASA announces

Jim Lovell , the NASA astronaut who commanded the Apollo 13 mission, has died at the age of 97.

Apollo 11 astronaut Jim Lovell dies: NASA announces

Jim Lovell, the astronaut who commanded the Apollo 13 mission and a veteran of four space flights, was 97 years old .

NASA , in a post on X, announced Lovell's passing as follows: “ We are saddened by the passing of Jim Lovell, commander of Apollo 13 and a veteran of four spaceflights. Lovell's life and work inspired millions . His courage under pressure helped chart our path to the Moon and beyond, a journey that continues today.”

Jim Lovell has died at the age of 97. Born in Cleveland on March 25, 1928, during his career as an astronaut he flew aboard the Gemini 7, Gemini, and Apollo 8 missions. Lovell, however, is best remembered as the commander of the Apollo 13 mission. Due to a problem with the oxygen tank, he and the crew were forced to abort the descent to the Moon and return to Earth in an emergency operation. He and his colleague Jack Swigert uttered the famous phrase: " Houston, we have a problem." Lovell's family issued a statement: " We are saddened to announce the passing of our beloved father, USN Captain James 'Jim' Lovell, a Navy pilot and officer, astronaut, leader, and space explorer . We are enormously proud of his extraordinary life and career achievements, highlighted by his legendary leadership in pioneering human spaceflight. But, to all of us, he was a father, a grandfather, and the leader of our family. We will miss his unwavering optimism, his sense of humor, and the way he made each of us feel we could do the impossible."