How many times did Jim Lovell fly to space?
Jim Lovell flew to space four times, making him the first person to do so. He flew on Gemini 7 in 1965, Gemini 12 in 1966, Apollo 8 in 1968, and Apollo 13 in 1970.
Questions about Jim Lovell
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Why did Jim Lovell never walk on the Moon?
Lovell reached the Moon twice but landed on neither occasion. During Apollo 8 in 1968, the mission was a lunar orbital flight with no landing planned. During Apollo 13 in 1970, a critical oxygen tank failure forced the crew to abandon the landing and return to Earth using the Lunar Module as a lifeboat.
What caused the Apollo 13 mission failure?
A fire started inside a liquid oxygen tank during a routine tank stir en route to the Moon. NASA determined the most probable cause was damaged electrical insulation on wiring that produced a spark. The fire burst the tank, damaged a second oxygen tank, and within just over two hours all onboard oxygen was lost, disabling the fuel cells that powered the Command/Service Module.
Why was Jim Lovell not selected as one of the Mercury Seven astronauts?
Lovell was rejected from the Mercury Seven astronaut selection because of a temporarily elevated bilirubin count found during his medical examination. He was accepted in September 1962 on his second application, joining the group known as the "New Nine" or "Next Nine".
What book did Jim Lovell write about Apollo 13?
Lovell co-wrote Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13 with Jeffrey Kluger, published in 1994. Ron Howard adapted it into the 1995 film Apollo 13, in which Tom Hanks portrayed Lovell and Lovell himself made a cameo appearance as the ship's skipper, Captain Leland Kirkemo.
What record did the Apollo 13 crew set regarding distance from Earth?
The Apollo 13 flight trajectory took Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert farther from Earth than any humans had previously traveled. That record stood until the Artemis II lunar flyby in 2026.