Background
James Arthur Lovell Jr. was born on March 25, 1928, in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. His father, James Lovell Sr., died when Jim was only five years old. His mother, Blanche, raised her only child in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
James Lovell
1929
Jim Lovell at the age of 1.
1940
Twelve-year-old Jim Lovell.
1963
Group portrait of the second group of men selected to be astronauts in NASA's Project Gemini space program, 1963. Pictured are, bottom row from left, James Lovell, Jim McDivitt, and Pete Conrad; second row: Elliot See and Thomas Stafford; third row: Edward White and John Young; fourth row: Neil Armstrong, and Frank Borman. (Photo by Ralph Morse)
1963
Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas, United States
NASA astronauts sit around a conference table in the Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas, January 26, 1963. Clockwise from lower left, Donald K. Slayton, Frank Borman, Edward Higgins White II, Neil Alden Armstrong, Walter Marty Schirra Jr., Malcolm Scott Carpenter, John Herschel Glenn Jr., Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr., Charles Conrad Jr., James A. Lovell Jr., Thomas P. Stafford, John Watts Young, Elliot M. See Jr., Virgil Ivan Grissom, Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr., and James A. McDivitt. (Photo by Ralph Morse)
1965
Captain James A. Lovell Jr. of the United States Navy, the pilot of the Gemini 7 space mission, December 1965.
1965
Astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., undergoing medical tests on USS Wasp after recovery from space capsule of Gemini 7 flight.
1965
Astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., undergoing medical tests on USS Wasp after recovery from space capsule of Gemini 7 flight.
1965
Astronauts James A. Lovel Jr., and Frank Borman, arriving on USS Wasp after recovery from space capsule of Gemini 7 flight.
1965
Astronauts James A. Lovel Jr., and Frank Borman, arriving on USS Wasp after recovery from space capsule of Gemini 7 flight.
1965
Gemini 7 astronauts, James A. Lovell and Frank Borman, arriving on carrier Wasp after splashdown.
1965
Astronauts James A. Lovel Jr., and Frank Borman, arriving on USS Wasp after recovery from space capsule of Gemini 7 flight.
1965
Astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., during the medical exam on USS Wasp after recovery from space capsule of Gemini 7 flight.
1968
Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, James A. Lovell Jr., and William A. Anders sitting inside dummy capsule onboard NASA Retriever boat during egress training. (Photo by Ralph Morse)
1968
2101 E NASA Pkwy, Houston, TX 77058, United States
The prime crew of the Apollo 8 mission suited up for centrifuge training in the Flight Acceleration Facility, in Building 29 of NASA's Johnson Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, on 1st November 1968. From left to right, they are Lunar Module Pilot William A. Anders, Command Module Pilot James A. Lovell Jr., and Commander Frank F. Borman II.
1968
Florida, United States
The crew of Apollo 8 in their spacesuits on a Kennedy Space Center simulator, Florida, United States, 13th November 1968. Left to right: James A. Lovell Jr., William A. Anders, and Frank Borman.
1968
Astronauts James Lovell, William Anders, and Frank Borman, in flight suits prior to December 1968 Apollo 8 flight-1st manned space ship orbit of Moon. (Photo by Ralph Morse)
1968
Florida, United States
American astronauts and crew of the Apollo 8 mission, from left, Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders pose together wearing their spacesuits in front of a Saturn V rocket on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, Florida during training in November 1968. The Apollo 8 spaceflight mission to circle the moon would launch on 21st December 1968.
1968
Florida, United States
American astronauts and crew of the Apollo 8 mission, Lunar Module Pilot William Anders, Command Module Pilot James Lovell, and Commander Frank Borman walk together wearing their spacesuits to the vehicle that will take them to the Apollo 8 space capsule and Saturn V rocket on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, Florida for their mission flight into space on 21st December 1968.
1968
Galveston, Texas, United States
American astronauts and crew of the Apollo 8 mission, from left, Commander Frank Borman, Lunar Module Pilot William Anders, and Command Module pilot James Lovell pose together in front of the Command Module at Galveston, Texas during training on 25th October 1968. The Apollo 8 spaceflight mission would launch on 21st December 1968.
1968
United States
American astronauts and crew of the Apollo 8 mission, from left, Lunar Module Pilot William Anders, Command Module Pilot James Lovell, and Commander Frank Borman, sit together in a cockpit during a simulated launch training exercise in the United States in 1968. The Apollo 8 spaceflight mission to circle the moon would launch on 21st December 1968.
1969
Astronaut James Lovell in Apollo spacesuit.
1969
Houston, Texas, United States
Jim Lovell and Marilyn Lovell with their children, Houston, Texas, 1969. (Photo by Yale Joel)
1970
The safe return of the Apollo 13 astronauts after their lunar landing mission encountered technical difficulties, 17th April 1970. From left to right, Lunar Module pilot Fred W. Haise, Mission Commander James A. Lovell, and Command Module pilot John L. Swigert.
1970
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
United States President Richard Nixon meets the Apollo 13 astronauts in Honolulu, Hawaii, after their safe return to Earth, 23rd April 1970. From left to right (front row) Fred Haise, Jim Lovell, Richard Nixon, and Jack Swigert. (Photo by Harry Benson)
1970
The Apollo 13 astronauts are reunited with their wives in Honolulu, Hawaii, after their safe return to Earth, 23rd April 1970. Pictured here are mission commander Jim Lovell and his wife Marilyn. (Photo by Harry Benson)
1970
2101 E NASA Pkwy, Houston, TX 77058, United States
The prime crew of the planned Apollo 13 lunar landing mission, pictured at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, shortly before launch, April 1970. From left to right, they are mission Commander James A. Lovell Jr., Command Module Pilot John L. Swigert Jr., and Lunar Module Pilot Fred W. Haise Jr.
1970
The original proposed crew of Apollo XIII, Navy Captain James A. Lovell Jn., the Apollo 13 Commander, Thomas Ken Mattingly the Command Module Pilot who was replaced 3 days before lift off by Jack L. Swigert Jn., and Fred W. Haise Jn., the Lunar Module pilot.
1970
Apollo 13 crew members including Lunar Module Pilot Fred W. Haise Jr. and Apollo 13 Commander James A. Lovell Jr. test a motorized core sampler, January 28, 1970.
1970
Apollo 13 astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert wearing pajamas, talking on telephones after splashdown from ill-fated moon mission.
1970
Three of the crew members of Apollo 13 (left to right), Jack Swigert, Jim Lovell, and Fred Haise. Swigert was the replacement for an ailing Ken Mattingly on the mission, which narrowly avoided tragedy when its spacecraft malfunctioned and had to return to Earth without landing on the Moon, with no margin for error.
1999
Chicago, Illinois, United States
NASA astronaut, Naval Aviator, and retired Navy Captain Jim Lovell, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 19th March 1999. (Photo by Steve Pyke)
1999
Chicago, Illinois, United States
NASA astronaut, Naval Aviator, and retired Navy Captain Jim Lovell, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 19th March 1999. (Photo by Steve Pyke)
2010
Chicago, Illinois
Captain James A. Lovell Jr. receives the Lincoln Leadership prize from actor Tom Hanks during a dinner honoring contemporary world leaders on February 11, 2010, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Frank Polich)
2010
120 E Delaware Pl, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
Captain James A. Lovell, Jr. attends the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation's Lincoln Leadership Prize ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel on February 11, 2010, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen)
2015
100 Jim Davidson Dr Sugar Land, TX 77498 United States
Astronaut Jim Lovell attends the OMEGA Speedmaster Houston Event at Western Airways Airport Hangar on May 12, 2015, in Sugar Land, Texas. (Photo by Craig Barritt)
2015
Los Angeles, California, United States
TV personality Alex Trebek and astronaut Jim Lovell attend the screening of "Apollo 13" during day two of the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival on March 27, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stefanie Keenan)
2018
5700 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
Group portrait of, from left, American astronauts William Anders, James Lovell, and Frank Borman, all of whom participated in NASA's Apollo 8 mission, as they pose together at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Illinois, April 5, 2018. (Photo by J.B. Spector)
2018
5700 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
View of American astronauts James Lovell and Frank Borman, both of whom were part of NASA's Apollo 8 mission, during a panel interview held at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Illinois, April 5, 2018. (Photo by J.B. Spector)
1929
Jim Lovell at the age of 1.
1940
Twelve-year-old Jim Lovell.
1963
Group portrait of the second group of men selected to be astronauts in NASA's Project Gemini space program, 1963. Pictured are, bottom row from left, James Lovell, Jim McDivitt, and Pete Conrad; second row: Elliot See and Thomas Stafford; third row: Edward White and John Young; fourth row: Neil Armstrong, and Frank Borman. (Photo by Ralph Morse)
1963
Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas, United States
NASA astronauts sit around a conference table in the Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas, January 26, 1963. Clockwise from lower left, Donald K. Slayton, Frank Borman, Edward Higgins White II, Neil Alden Armstrong, Walter Marty Schirra Jr., Malcolm Scott Carpenter, John Herschel Glenn Jr., Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr., Charles Conrad Jr., James A. Lovell Jr., Thomas P. Stafford, John Watts Young, Elliot M. See Jr., Virgil Ivan Grissom, Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr., and James A. McDivitt. (Photo by Ralph Morse)
1965
Captain James A. Lovell Jr. of the United States Navy, the pilot of the Gemini 7 space mission, December 1965.
1965
Astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., undergoing medical tests on USS Wasp after recovery from space capsule of Gemini 7 flight.
1965
Astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., undergoing medical tests on USS Wasp after recovery from space capsule of Gemini 7 flight.
1965
Astronauts James A. Lovel Jr., and Frank Borman, arriving on USS Wasp after recovery from space capsule of Gemini 7 flight.
1965
Astronauts James A. Lovel Jr., and Frank Borman, arriving on USS Wasp after recovery from space capsule of Gemini 7 flight.
1965
Gemini 7 astronauts, James A. Lovell and Frank Borman, arriving on carrier Wasp after splashdown.
1965
Astronauts James A. Lovel Jr., and Frank Borman, arriving on USS Wasp after recovery from space capsule of Gemini 7 flight.
1965
Astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., during the medical exam on USS Wasp after recovery from space capsule of Gemini 7 flight.
1968
Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, James A. Lovell Jr., and William A. Anders sitting inside dummy capsule onboard NASA Retriever boat during egress training. (Photo by Ralph Morse)
1968
2101 E NASA Pkwy, Houston, TX 77058, United States
The prime crew of the Apollo 8 mission suited up for centrifuge training in the Flight Acceleration Facility, in Building 29 of NASA's Johnson Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, on 1st November 1968. From left to right, they are Lunar Module Pilot William A. Anders, Command Module Pilot James A. Lovell Jr., and Commander Frank F. Borman II.
1968
Florida, United States
The crew of Apollo 8 in their spacesuits on a Kennedy Space Center simulator, Florida, United States, 13th November 1968. Left to right: James A. Lovell Jr., William A. Anders, and Frank Borman.
1968
Astronauts James Lovell, William Anders, and Frank Borman, in flight suits prior to December 1968 Apollo 8 flight-1st manned space ship orbit of Moon. (Photo by Ralph Morse)
1968
Florida, United States
American astronauts and crew of the Apollo 8 mission, from left, Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders pose together wearing their spacesuits in front of a Saturn V rocket on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, Florida during training in November 1968. The Apollo 8 spaceflight mission to circle the moon would launch on 21st December 1968.
1968
Florida, United States
American astronauts and crew of the Apollo 8 mission, Lunar Module Pilot William Anders, Command Module Pilot James Lovell, and Commander Frank Borman walk together wearing their spacesuits to the vehicle that will take them to the Apollo 8 space capsule and Saturn V rocket on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, Florida for their mission flight into space on 21st December 1968.
1968
Galveston, Texas, United States
American astronauts and crew of the Apollo 8 mission, from left, Commander Frank Borman, Lunar Module Pilot William Anders, and Command Module pilot James Lovell pose together in front of the Command Module at Galveston, Texas during training on 25th October 1968. The Apollo 8 spaceflight mission would launch on 21st December 1968.
1968
United States
American astronauts and crew of the Apollo 8 mission, from left, Lunar Module Pilot William Anders, Command Module Pilot James Lovell, and Commander Frank Borman, sit together in a cockpit during a simulated launch training exercise in the United States in 1968. The Apollo 8 spaceflight mission to circle the moon would launch on 21st December 1968.
1969
Astronaut James Lovell in Apollo spacesuit.
1969
Houston, Texas, United States
Jim Lovell and Marilyn Lovell with their children, Houston, Texas, 1969. (Photo by Yale Joel)
1970
The safe return of the Apollo 13 astronauts after their lunar landing mission encountered technical difficulties, 17th April 1970. From left to right, Lunar Module pilot Fred W. Haise, Mission Commander James A. Lovell, and Command Module pilot John L. Swigert.
1970
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
United States President Richard Nixon meets the Apollo 13 astronauts in Honolulu, Hawaii, after their safe return to Earth, 23rd April 1970. From left to right (front row) Fred Haise, Jim Lovell, Richard Nixon, and Jack Swigert. (Photo by Harry Benson)
1970
The Apollo 13 astronauts are reunited with their wives in Honolulu, Hawaii, after their safe return to Earth, 23rd April 1970. Pictured here are mission commander Jim Lovell and his wife Marilyn. (Photo by Harry Benson)
1970
2101 E NASA Pkwy, Houston, TX 77058, United States
The prime crew of the planned Apollo 13 lunar landing mission, pictured at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, shortly before launch, April 1970. From left to right, they are mission Commander James A. Lovell Jr., Command Module Pilot John L. Swigert Jr., and Lunar Module Pilot Fred W. Haise Jr.
1970
The original proposed crew of Apollo XIII, Navy Captain James A. Lovell Jn., the Apollo 13 Commander, Thomas Ken Mattingly the Command Module Pilot who was replaced 3 days before lift off by Jack L. Swigert Jn., and Fred W. Haise Jn., the Lunar Module pilot.
1970
Apollo 13 crew members including Lunar Module Pilot Fred W. Haise Jr. and Apollo 13 Commander James A. Lovell Jr. test a motorized core sampler, January 28, 1970.
1970
Apollo 13 astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert wearing pajamas, talking on telephones after splashdown from ill-fated moon mission.
1970
Three of the crew members of Apollo 13 (left to right), Jack Swigert, Jim Lovell, and Fred Haise. Swigert was the replacement for an ailing Ken Mattingly on the mission, which narrowly avoided tragedy when its spacecraft malfunctioned and had to return to Earth without landing on the Moon, with no margin for error.
1999
Chicago, Illinois, United States
NASA astronaut, Naval Aviator, and retired Navy Captain Jim Lovell, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 19th March 1999. (Photo by Steve Pyke)
1999
Chicago, Illinois, United States
NASA astronaut, Naval Aviator, and retired Navy Captain Jim Lovell, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 19th March 1999. (Photo by Steve Pyke)
2010
Chicago, Illinois
Captain James A. Lovell Jr. receives the Lincoln Leadership prize from actor Tom Hanks during a dinner honoring contemporary world leaders on February 11, 2010, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Frank Polich)
2010
120 E Delaware Pl, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
Captain James A. Lovell, Jr. attends the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation's Lincoln Leadership Prize ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel on February 11, 2010, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen)
2015
100 Jim Davidson Dr Sugar Land, TX 77498 United States
Astronaut Jim Lovell attends the OMEGA Speedmaster Houston Event at Western Airways Airport Hangar on May 12, 2015, in Sugar Land, Texas. (Photo by Craig Barritt)
2015
Los Angeles, California, United States
TV personality Alex Trebek and astronaut Jim Lovell attend the screening of "Apollo 13" during day two of the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival on March 27, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stefanie Keenan)
2018
5700 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
Group portrait of, from left, American astronauts William Anders, James Lovell, and Frank Borman, all of whom participated in NASA's Apollo 8 mission, as they pose together at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Illinois, April 5, 2018. (Photo by J.B. Spector)
2018
5700 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
View of American astronauts James Lovell and Frank Borman, both of whom were part of NASA's Apollo 8 mission, during a panel interview held at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Illinois, April 5, 2018. (Photo by J.B. Spector)
Tom Hanks
(In April 1970, during the glory days of the Apollo space ...)
In April 1970, during the glory days of the Apollo space program, NASA sent Navy Captain Jim Lovell and two other astronauts on America's fifth mission to the moon. Only fifty-five hours into the flight of Apollo 13, disaster struck: a mysterious explosion rocked the ship, and soon its oxygen and power began draining away. As inspiring today as it was thirty years ago, the story of Apollo 13 is a timeless tribute to the enduring American spirit and sparkling individual heroism.
https://www.amazon.com/Apollo-13-Anniversary-Jeffrey-Kluger/dp/0618056653/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1604397983&sr=1-3
1995
(Discover the exciting backstage story of NASA’s Apollo pr...)
Discover the exciting backstage story of NASA’s Apollo program and lunar landing with this volume of essays by the program's participants - engineers, administrators, and astronauts - describing the unprecedented challenges associated with putting men on the Moon. Written in direct, jargon-free language, this enthralling exploration story features nearly a hundred black-and-white illustrations as well as more than 160 dazzling color photographs.
https://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Expeditions-Moon-Landing-Program-ebook/dp/B00S4ECTNU/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&qid=1604398059&refinements=p_27%3AJames+Lovell&s=digital-text&sr=1-4&text=James+Lovell
Astronaut naval aviator mechanical engineer
James Arthur Lovell Jr. was born on March 25, 1928, in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. His father, James Lovell Sr., died when Jim was only five years old. His mother, Blanche, raised her only child in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Jim when to Juneau High School and became an Eagle Scout. In high school, Lovell decided that his main interest was rocket science. He attended the University of Wisconsin from 1946-48, before transferring to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1952. Lovell received further education at Harvard’s Advanced Management Program in 1971.
In 1958, Lovell graduated from the Navy's test pilot school and spent the next several years testing fighter aircraft and other jets before they were authorized for use by less experienced pilots. The Navy's test pilots were among the best aviators in the country, and as such, were prime candidates for NASA's astronaut program in the early 1960s.
Lovell was selected as a potential astronaut candidate for Project Mercury but was turned down because of a temporary excess of a protein called bilirubin in his blood, which could have been indicative of a liver problem. When he protested NASA the response he received was, "I have five men out there who don't have a bilirubin problem, and 26 more on the way who probably don't," Lovell recounted in "Lost Moon."
But he got a second chance when NASA began recruiting astronauts for the Gemini and Apollo programs, and Lovell was selected for the program in 1962.
Lovell served as a backup for Gemini 4, before being assigned as one of two crew members on Gemini 7, which launched on December 4, 1965.
The Gemini 7 flight was an endurance mission in every sense of the word. Lovell and Frank Borman spent more than 330 hours (nearly two weeks) in a spacecraft about the size of a coat closet. The men carried out nearly 20 experiments and operated without their spacesuits on for the first time, according to NASA. They also successfully rendezvoused with Gemini 6A on December 15, 1965, and the two spacecraft moved around in close proximity for a little over 5 hours. After 209 orbits around Earth, Gemini 7 returned home on December 18, 1965.
Lovell's next trip to space was as commander of Gemini 12, the last flight of Project Gemini. Lovell was accompanied by astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who completed three extravehicular activity operations during the mission. The two-man crew also successfully docked with the Agena target vehicle and performed several experiments, according to NASA.
The next step for Lovell was the moon. Apollo 8 launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on December 21, 1968, with Borman as the commander, William Anders as the lunar module pilot, and Lovell as the command module pilot. The mission completed its goal of going around the moon and back, according to NASA. It was the first time any human had journeyed so far, and the men were the first to see the far side of the moon.
"On Apollo 8, we were on the dark side of the moon, which was 60 miles [97 kilometers] below us," Lovell told Chicago Magazine in a 2019 interview. "As we kept on going around, we suddenly saw the Earth coming into view 240,000 miles [386,000 km] away. I could put my thumb up to the window and everything I ever knew was behind it. Billions of people. Oceans. Mountains. Deserts."
The crew made six telecast appearances during their trip around the moon. Millions of people watched the astronauts deliver a Christmas address from space, in which they read passages from the Bible and described the view of space and Earth, unfurling beneath them. Apollo 8 returned to Earth on December 27, 1968.
Lovell's last mission was as commander of Apollo 13 in April 1970. He was joined by lunar module pilot Fred Haise, and command module pilot John "Jack" Swigert. Swigert was initially Apollo 13's backup command module pilot, but was asked to join the crew 48 hours before launch time after the original command module pilot, Ken Mattingly, was exposed to German measles.
Apollo 13 was the third targeted moon landing. All appeared normal until the evening of April 13, when the astronauts were just a day away from landing on the moon. A stray spark ignited an oxygen tank within the command module, heavily damaging the spacecraft.
The three men huddled in the undamaged lunar module - a spacecraft designed for two men to land on the moon - for most of the next four days. To save energy, only the most essential systems were kept powered up. The men were cold, uncomfortable, and dealing with a constant barrage of minor issues. But with the help of Mission Control, they arrived safely back on Earth on April 17, 1970.
Lovell retired from NASA and the Navy in 1973. He went to work for Bay-Houston Towing Company and became the President and CEO in 1975. He later held executive and board member positions for various other companies before retiring in 1991.
In 1999, the Lovell family opened a restaurant in Lake Forest, Illinois called "Lovells of Lake Forest," which featured memorabilia from Lovell's time as an astronaut and the Apollo 13 movie. The restaurant saw success for many years but closed permanently in 2015.
Now, at age 92, Lovell graciously provides interviews and participates in space outreach programs when he can.
Jim Lovell was the first astronaut to make four space flights: pilot of Gemini 7; commander of Gemini 12; Command Module Pilot of Apollo 8; and commander of Apollo 13. As a Naval test pilot, he logged over 5,000 hours of flying time.
Lovell has received many awards and honors including the Collier, Harmon (three times) and Goddard trophies, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and most recently, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, according to The National Aviation Hall of Fame.
(Discover the exciting backstage story of NASA’s Apollo pr...)
(In April 1970, during the glory days of the Apollo space ...)
1995Jim's religious life started after his father's death, when he started attending the Presbyterian Church in Milwaukee. But once in an interview, he said: "I think what religion teaches you is well worth listening to. But you have to remember, if you want to take a look at the history of religion, it’s not all good. I mean, religion itself has caused more distraught, more problems, to this day."
After an explosion crippled the Apollo 8 about 200,000 miles from Earth and Lovell improbably steered it back home and deposited himself and his crew safely in the Pacific Ocean, he could have had his choice of pretty much any political office he fancied. The Republican Party thought he would be a good fit as a candidate for the Senate from Wisconsin - where he spent much of his childhood - and he was approached by multiple members of the GOP aristocracy, including Illinois Senator Charles Percy and Vice President Spiro Agnew.
Lovell declined all of the offers. But the Party was undeterred, and he soon received a call from the White House.
President Nixon made more or less the same pitch Percy and Agnew had. Lovell once again responded with a polite "no," this time adding that he really did not know the first thing about running for office, that it was late in the election cycle anyway, and that he had not raised any money. He thanked the President, declined once more, and ended the call.
While orbiting the moon, Jim Lovell looked out through the window of his spacecraft and saw Earth, which appeared so small that he could obscure the view with his thumb. In the interview with Chicago Sun-Times, he said: "I thought how insignificant we really all are and yet how fortunate we all are that we have a place to live.
"I began to think that, you know, in reality, we often say that I hope to go to heaven when we die. In reality, we go to heaven when we’re born. We arrive on a [planet] with the proper mass that has the gravity that can contain water and an atmosphere, the very essentials for life.
"And if you want to really pursue that to the extreme, St. Peter was that doctor you saw when you first opened your eyes.
"That’s my sort of philosophy right now, that enjoy life ... take a moment, and look at what you have, look at Lake Michigan ... Feel the breeze on your cheek, and know that God has really given us ability to be here.
"God has given us a stage ... upon which to perform, and how the play turns out is really up to us."
Quotations:
"The moon is essentially gray, no color. It looks like plaster of Paris, like dirty beach sand with lots of footprints in it."
"There are people who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen, and there are people who wonder what happened. To be successful, you need to be a person who makes things happen."
"Santa is a magical and cuddly man, not a fat, smelly slob. I even saw Santa last year wearing trainers (sneakers)."
Jim Lovell is the astronaut known for the phrase, "Houston, we've had a problem," during the Apollo 13 mission.
On Christmas Eve, the Apollo 8 astronauts described the moon and then read from the book of Genesis during a live television broadcast from space.
Jim and Marilyn Lovell were school sweethearts and married in 1952. The couple has four children: Barbara, James, Susan, and Jeffrey.
James Lovell died in 1933 in a car accident.
Lovell's crewmates each wrote farewell letters to their wives before the Apolo 8 mission, just in case something happened and they didn't make it back home. But Lovell didn't write a letter, he told Chicago Magazine. "Instead, I went to Neiman Marcus and bought my wife a mink jacket. I had it delivered on Christmas Day with a note that said, 'To Marilyn: Merry Christmas from the man on the moon.'"
When Jim Lovell found out Tom Hanks was playing him in Apollo 13, he invited him for a weekend to a house they have in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. Tom flew into Austin and Jim picked him up in my airplane. Lovell thought, "You know if this guy is going to play a naval aviator, we’ve gotta get started right away. " After they took off, Jim said, "Here are some things you should learn to feel in the airplane." And Lovell started to go up and down to get to zero G. Hanks was hanging in there and not saying anything. Then when they got near the airport, Jim wanted to show Tom what it was like the time Jim lost all his instruments. "You see the runway down there?" he said. "OK, now I’m turning off all the lights in the airplane." They were flying blind. Hanks was glad to be back down on the ground after that.
Frank Borman and Jim Lovell ware on the Gemini 7 flight together.
Aldrin and Lovell were the members of the Gemini 12 crew.
Bill Anders was an astronaut alongside Frank Borman and Jin Lovell on Apollo 8.
Jack Swigert, Fred Haise, and Jim Lovell were crew members on Apollo 13 mission.
