Washington, August 8(HS): Astronaut Jim Lovell, the commander who steered the stricken Apollo 13 mission safely back to Earth in 1970, has died aged 97.
NASA praised Lovell for “turning a potential tragedy into a success” after an onboard explosion forced the mission to abandon its Moon landing. His calm statement, “Houston, we’ve had a problem”, became one of the most famous lines in space history.
A veteran of four spaceflights — Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8, and Apollo 13 — Lovell was the first person to journey to the Moon twice, though never setting foot on it. In 1968’s Apollo 8 mission, he helped capture the iconic “Earthrise” photograph, offering the world a unifying view of its fragility.
Born in 1928, Lovell’s lifelong passion for rocketry began in his teens. After serving as a US Navy pilot, he joined NASA’s elite 1962 astronaut group. His greatest test came on Apollo 13, where he improvised survival strategies that brought himself, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert home after four perilous days in freezing, rationed conditions.
Retiring from the Navy in 1973, Lovell co-authored Lost Moon, the basis for the Oscar-winning film Apollo 13, in which Tom Hanks portrayed him.
Lovell is remembered as a symbol of courage, composure, and teamwork — a man who twice brought the world together from hundreds of thousands of miles away.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
