Jim Lovell

• 1. Early Life And Naval Training

  ›

  James Arthur Lovell Jr. was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on the 25th of March 1928. His father James Lovell Sr., a furnace salesman from Toronto, Canada, died in a car accident when Jim was five years old. The family moved to Terre Haute, Indiana, and later Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended Juneau High School and became an Eagle Scout. After high school, he studied engineering at the University of Wisconsin under the Navy's Flying Midshipman program from 1946 to 1948. He worked washing dishes and busing tables to supplement his meager Navy stipend. He also cared for lab rats and mice on weekends. When the Navy cut the program in summer 1948, he applied to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He secured a nomination from Representative John C. Brophy and entered Annapolis in July 1948. During his first year, he wrote a treatise on liquid-propellant rocket engines. He graduated in spring 1952 with a Bachelor of Science degree and was commissioned as an ensign.

• 2. Selection Into The Next Nine

  ›

  Lovell was not selected by NASA as one of the Mercury Seven astronauts due to a temporarily high bilirubin count. In September 1962, NASA began recruiting its second group of astronauts for the Gemini and Apollo programs. Lovell found out about the selection from an advertisement placed in Aviation Week & Space Technology. A three-person panel consisting of Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton, and Warren J. North reduced candidates to 32 finalists. They underwent medical examinations at Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio. This time Lovell passed the tests. On September 14, Slayton informed him that he had been accepted. To avoid tipping off the media, Lovell checked into the Rice Hotel in Houston under the name Max Peck. The official announcement occurred on September 17 at the University of Houston's Cullen Auditorium. The group became known as the Next Nine or New Nine. Conrad and Lovell built houses in Timber Cove, south of the Manned Spacecraft Center. Developers offered mortgages with small down payments and low interest rates. Gus Grissom supervised their training. Each astronaut received four months of classroom instruction on spacecraft propulsion, orbital mechanics, astronomy, computing, and space medicine. Classes ran six hours a day two days a week. All sixteen astronauts attended. They also trained in jungle survival at Albrook Air Force Station in Panama, desert survival at Stead Air Force Base in Nevada, and water survival at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

• 3. Gemini Program Endurance Records

  ›

  Lovell served as command module pilot on Apollo 8 launched on the 21st of December 1968. He along with Frank Borman and William Anders became first crew to ride Saturn V rocket and travel to Moon. Their craft entered lunar orbit on December 24 Christmas Eve reducing speed to go into 5.9 by 168.5 nautical mile orbit. Engine fired again to enter 60 nautical mile circular orbit around Moon. On Christmas Eve crew broadcast black-and-white television pictures of lunar surface back to Earth. Lovell took turn reading passage from Book of Genesis during broadcast. They made total ten orbits in 20 hours and 10 minutes. Return began December 25 Christmas Day with rocket burn on far side out of radio contact. When contact re-established, Lovell broadcast Please be informed there is a Santa Claus. As CMP Lovell served as navigator using spacecraft sextant to determine position measuring star positions. These measurements calculated required mid-course corrections. During idle time he conducted navigational sightings maneuvering module to view stars entering data via Apollo Guidance Computer keyboard. One entry caused inertial measurement unit register same orientation before liftoff. Crew knew they would have to reenter orientation data. Lovell took about ten minutes calculating correct values using thrusters aligning Rigel and Sirius in sextant. Another 15 minutes spent entering correct measurements into computer.

  Lovell commanded Apollo 13 launched aboard the 11th of April 1970. He and Fred

• 4. Apollo 8 Lunar Orbit Breakthrough

  ›

  Haise planned landing near Fra Mauro crater. During routine liquid oxygen tank stir en route to Moon fire started inside tank. Most probable cause determined by NASA was damaged electrical insulation creating spark starting fire. Problem draining tank reported before mission. Lovell approved turning heaters purging oxygen rather replacing faulty tank delaying mission month. Neither he nor launch pad crew aware tank contained wrong thermostat switch. Heaters left on eight hours successfully purged oxygen removing teflon insulation from copper wiring. Liquid oxygen rapidly turned high-pressure gas bursting tank causing leak second oxygen tank. In just over two hours all onboard oxygen lost disabling hydrogen fuel cells providing electrical power to Command Service Module Odyssey. Using Lunar Module as life boat providing battery power oxygen propulsion Lovell and crew re-established free return trajectory swinging around Moon returning home. Based flight controllers calculations made Earth Lovell adjusted course twice manually controlling Lunar Module thrusters engine. Apollo 13 returned safely Earth April 17. I'm afraid this going be last lunar mission long time said Lovell. His comment rebutted NASA Administrator Thomas O. Paine hastening reassure public mounting more missions Moon.

  Lovell retired Navy space program the 1st of March 1973. He went work Bay-Houston Towing Company Houston Texas taking role CEO 1975. Became president Fisk Telephone Systems 1977 later worked Centel Corporation

• 5. The Apollo 13 Crisis Management

  ›

  Chicago retiring executive vice president the 1st of January 1991. Received Distinguished Eagle Scout Award recognized Boy Scouts America Silver Buffalo Award. On board directors Federal Signal Corporation Chicago 1984-2003 Astronautics Corporation America Milwaukee 1990-1999 Centel 1987-1991. 1999 family opened restaurant Lake Forest Illinois called Lovells of Lake Forest displaying memorabilia NASA filming Apollo 13. Restaurant sold son James Jay 2006 put market sale February 2014 closed April 2015 property auctioned same month. Wife Marilyn died natural causes the 27th of August 2023 age 93. Lovell died the 7th of August 2025 home Lake Forest Illinois age 97 buried next Marilyn United States Naval Academy Cemetery Annapolis Maryland.

  A small crater far side Moon named Lovell honor 1970. Discovery World Milwaukee renamed The James Lovell Museum Science Economics Technology located James Lovell St also named for him. Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center completed October 2010 merging Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes North Chicago Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Tom Hanks paid tribute following death saying There people dare dream lead others places we would not go own. Interim NASA administrator Sean Duffy attributed calm strength pressure helping crew return safely Earth. About month after Apollo 13 returned Earth Lovell

• 6. Post-NASA Corporate Leadership

  ›

  Fred Haise Jack Swigert appeared Tonight Show host Johnny Carson. 1976 made cameo appearance Nicolas Roeg film Man Who Fell to Earth. Wrote 1994 book Lost Moon Perilous Voyage Apollo 13 Jeffrey Kluger Ron Howard adapted into 1995 film Apollo 13. First impression approached film Kevin Costner good choice given physical resemblance but Tom Hanks cast role. To prepare Hanks visited James Marilyn Lovell Texas flew private airplane. Kathleen Quinlan nominated supporting actress Oscar performance Marilyn. Film Lovell cameo captain Iwo Jima seen naval officer shaking Hanks hand speaking voice-over scene astronauts come aboard Iwo Jima. Filmmakers offered make character admiral aboard ship said retired captain captain will be. Cast ship skipper Captain Leland Kirkemo. Along wife Marilyn provided commentary track single disc two-disc special edition DVD.