Jim Lovell, a pivotal figure in NASA’s history and commander of the Apollo 13 mission, has died at the age of 97.

NASA confirmed the passing of Captain Jim Lovell with condolences extended to his family, praising his enduring influence and inspirational legacy spanning decades. Acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy highlighted Lovell’s character and fortitude as instrumental in achieving lunar exploration and transforming a perilous situation into a testament of ingenuity and resilience.

Lovell’s distinguished career began as command module pilot for Apollo 8, a landmark mission alongside astronauts Frank Borman and William Anders. The trio achieved the groundbreaking feat of orbiting the moon, setting the stage for the subsequent Apollo 11 lunar landing. He is perhaps most recognized for his leadership during the Apollo 13 mission, an event frequently cited as “NASA’s finest hour” due to the remarkable teamwork that averted potential disaster. The mission’s narrative was brought to a wider audience through the 1995 film “Apollo 13,” in which he was portrayed by Tom Hanks.

As mission commander for what would have been NASA’s third attempt at landing on the moon, Lovell faced an immediate crisis when an oxygen tank exploded, jeopardizing the lives of himself and his crewmates. Through resourceful problem-solving both onboard the spacecraft and at ground control, they successfully executed a maneuver that utilized the Moon’s gravity to slingshot them back toward Earth.

Beyond Apollo 13, Lovell contributed significantly through early Gemini missions and continued to embody NASA’s commitment to space exploration, as evidenced by the agency’s current Artemis program aimed at returning humans to the moon and venturing further into our solar system.