Jim Lovell is an American astronaut who has had a long and distinguished career in space exploration. He is best known for his role in the Apollo 13 mission, which was famously portrayed in the 1995 movie of the same name. Lovell was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1928 and grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned a degree in aeronautical engineering.
Lovell's career in the space program began in 1962 when he was selected as one of the nine astronauts for the Gemini program. He flew two missions as the command pilot of Gemini 7 and Gemini 12. During the Gemini 7 mission, Lovell and his crewmate, Frank Borman, set a record for the longest spaceflight at the time, spending 14 days in space. On the Gemini 12 mission, Lovell and his crewmate, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, performed the first successful space rendezvous and docking with an Agena target vehicle.
In 1969, Lovell was selected to command the Apollo 13 mission. The mission was intended to be the third mission to land on the moon, but it was aborted due to an oxygen tank explosion. Lovell and his crewmates, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert, were forced to use the lunar module as a "lifeboat" to return to Earth. Lovell's quick thinking and leadership during the mission were credited with saving the lives of the crew.
After the Apollo 13 mission, Lovell continued to serve in the space program. He was the backup commander for the Apollo 16 mission and the commander of the Apollo 17 mission, which was the last mission to the moon. He also served as the backup commander for the Skylab 2 mission and the commander of the Skylab 4 mission.
Lovell retired from the space program in 1973 and went on to become a successful businessman. He served as the president of Bay-Houston Towing Company and the chairman of Fisk Telephone Systems. He also wrote two books about his experiences in space, Lost Moon and Apollo 13.
Lovell's contributions to the space program have been recognized with numerous awards and honors. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1970 and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978. He was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1993 and the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1997.
Lovell's legacy in the space program is one of courage, leadership, and innovation. He was a pioneer in space exploration and his accomplishments will continue to inspire future generations of astronauts.