Jim Lovell, famed Apollo 13 commander and one of NASA’s most celebrated astronauts, has died at the age of 97 – www.naijnaira.com reports.
Lovell first made history as a pilot in the Gemini program, mastering space rendezvous and long-duration flight before ever stepping into Apollo missions.
According to Telegraph Obituaries, his career reached its defining moment in April 1970 when Apollo 13’s mission to the Moon was crippled by an oxygen tank explosion 200,000 miles from Earth.
The disaster turned into a global drama as engineers raced to convert the lunar module into a lifeboat, guiding the crew safely back home.
Lovell and his crewmates Jack Swigert and Fred Haise endured freezing temperatures and strict rationing to conserve power and oxygen.
NASA engineers on the ground devised improvised solutions, including a famous carbon dioxide filter fix, and relayed them step-by-step to the astronauts.
The crew returned safely after looping around the Moon, splashing down in the South Pacific to a hero’s welcome from President Richard Nixon.
Lovell’s earlier Apollo 8 mission in 1968 marked the first time humans left Earth’s gravity to orbit the Moon.
He famously named two lunar peaks “Mount Marilyn” after his wife, a gesture that won public affection.
Born in Cleveland in 1928 and raised in Milwaukee, Lovell built model rockets before earning his science degree at the U.S. Naval Academy.
His post-NASA years included corporate leadership roles and chairing the President’s Physical Fitness Council.
Among numerous awards, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
He is survived by his four children; his wife, Marilyn, died in 2023.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
