Latest news with #GeminiXII
News18
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Jim Lovell, Commander of NASAs Apollo 13 mission passes away at 97
Washington DC [US], August 9 (ANI): Astronaut Jim Lovell, whose history-making leadership as commander of a near-disastrous 1970 mission to the moon is one of the most celebrated tales of the U.S. space program and was chronicled in the hit Tom Hanks film 'Apollo 13', passed away in Illinois on Thursday. He was death was announced by his family and by NASA.'We are enormously proud of his amazing life and career accomplishments, highlighted by his legendary leadership in pioneering human space flight," the Lovell family said in a statement released by NASA, as quoted by Deadline. '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 humour, and the way he made each of us feel we could do the impossible. He was truly one of a kind," added the Lovell family. According to the outlet, Lovell was a finalist to be part of the Mercury Seven, the first group of U.S. astronauts named in 1959, and ultimately was selected for the second group that also included Neil Armstrong. The Apollo 13 mission — Lovell's fourth spaceflight following Gemini VII, Gemini XII and Apollo 8 — launched on April 11, 1970, with the intention of a moon landing. But an oxygen tank exploded two days into the mission, disabling crucial electrical systems, reported Deadline. Supported by backup systems, Commander Lovell and his fellow astronauts Jack Swigert and Fred Haise successfully pulled off a dramatic return to Earth by looping around the Hanks also paid tribute to the astronaut by writing a heartfelt note. Taking to his Instagram handle, the actor wrote, 'There are people who dare, who dream and who lead others to the places we would not go on our own. Jim Lovell, who for a long while had gone farther into space and for longer than any other person of our planet, was that kind of guy."
USA Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Jim Lovell died months before 'Apollo 13' film's 30th anniversary return to theaters
Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell died Aug. 7, two months before Ron Howard's Oscar-winning 1995 film inspired by Lovell and his crew's heroic story returns to IMAX theaters. Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell died six weeks before the movie about his rescue mission is set for a 30th anniversary rerelease in IMAX. Lovell, the 97-year-old Gemini XII and Apollo astronaut who died Aug. 7, with the help of NASA engineers in Houston led his crew return safely to Earth during the nearly disastrous Apollo 13 mission on April 13, 1970. This story of heroism was adapted for the screen by Ron Howard, with Oscar winner Tom Hanks portraying Lovell in 1995's "Apollo 13." The summer blockbuster, which picked up a few trophies during the 1996 Academy Awards, featured a star-studded cast, which included Kevin Bacon, the late Bill Paxton, Ed Harris and Gary Sinise. To mark the film's 30th anniversary, Universal Pictures announced "Apollo 13" will head back to IMAX theaters across the United States. The Sept. 19, 2025, IMAX premiere celebrates the 30th anniversary of the film's original June 30, 1995, theatrical release. According to Universal, the based-on-a-true-story film was "the very first Hollywood feature film to be digitally re-mastered into The IMAX Experience." Looking back at Jim Lovell's career: Apollo 13 was only part of the astronaut's incredible life Who was Jim Lovell? Lovell, who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, became an astronaut in 1962 and launched into space three years later on the historic Gemini VII mission, according to his NASA biography. Lovell also commanded the Gemini XII mission, a four-day flight that brought the program to an end. Lovell and his crew became the first people to leave Earth's gravitational pull on the 1968 Apollo 8 mission to the moon, and he was set to make another voyage to the moon two years later on his fourth mission, Apollo 13. But the lunar landing was averted after an oxygen tank exploded during the voyage. The astronauts faced an extreme shortage of water and power, as well as dangerous levels of carbon dioxide. In Lovell's four voyages into outer space, he never left his footprint on the moon — a disappointment for the overachiever. He was supposed to be the fifth person to walk on the moon on Apollo 13. "I'm very proud of 13, even though I didn't land on the moon," he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2020. "That was a disappointment for me, but then a lot of people landed on the moon." What happened with Apollo 13? The "Apollo 13" movie is inspired by the nearly disastrous April 1970 mission of the same name in which NASA's third planned mission to the moon had to be abandoned when an oxygen tank exploded on the service module. For the three astronauts selected for the mission – Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise – the critical mishap two days into the mission transformed the spaceflight into a life-or-death situation. Relying on backup life-support systems on the Apollo Lunar Module meant to transport them to the moon's surface from orbit, the astronauts used primitive methods of celestial navigation to make their way back to Earth. While in constant communication with flight controllers in Houston the astronauts safely made a water landing April 17, 1970, in the South Pacific Ocean – six days after launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 'Apollo 13' cast included Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon "Apollo 13's" ensemble cast portrayed the mission's astronauts, their families and the NASA engineers who helped get them home. Here are the actors and their real-life counterparts. Who were the astronauts of NASA's Apollo 13 mission? The mission was under Lovell's command. Jack Swigert, the command module pilot, had been selected as a NASA astronaut in 1966. Swigert, who hailed from Denver, was a backup astronaut for the Apollo 13 mission and replaced astronaut Ken Mattingly, who was grounded after exposure to rubella. The third crew member of Apollo 13 was Biloxi, Mississippi's Fred Haise, the Lunar Module pilot who was part of the same astronaut class as Swigert. Haise, 91 is the remaining living crew member of Apollo 13.
NBC News
a day ago
- Science
- NBC News
Astronaut Jim Lovell, famed Apollo 13 commander, dies at 97
Astronaut Jim Lovell, best known as the commander of the near-tragic Apollo 13 mission to the moon, died Thursday in Illinois. He was 97 years old. Lovell was a veteran of four spaceflights: Gemini VII, Gemini XII, Apollo 8 and Apollo 13. In a statement released Friday, the Lovell family highlighted his 'amazing life and career accomplishments' and 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,' the family said in its statement. '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.' Acting NASA Administration Sean Duffy said in a news release: "NASA sends its condolences to the family of Capt. Jim Lovell, whose life and work inspired millions of people across the decades. 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. We mourn his passing even as we celebrate his achievements."
