Acting NASA Administrator Reflects on Legacy of Astronaut Jim Lovell

The following is a statement by the interim administrator of NASA, Sean Duffy, on the death of the famous astronaut of Apollo Jim Lovell. He died on August 7 in Lake Forest, Illinois. He was 97 years old.

“NASA sends its condolences to the family of Captain Jim Lovell, whose life and work inspired millions of people during the decades. The character of Jim and the firm courage helped our nation reach the moon and transformed a potential tragedy into a success from which we learned a huge quantity. We mourn his death then as we celebrate his achievements.

“From a pair of gemini pioneers missions to the successes of Apollo, Jim helped our nation to forge a historical path in the space which makes us advance towards the artemis missions to come on the moon and beyond.

“While the control module pilot for Apollo 8, Jim and his teammates became the first to take off on a Saturn V rocket and orbit the moon, proving that lunar landing was within our reach. As commander of the Apollo 13 mission, his calm pressure under pressure helped to return the team to earth safely and demonstrated the rapid thought and innovation that informed the future NASA missions.

“Known for his mind, this unforgettable astronaut was nicknamed Smilin ‘Jim by his astronauts colleagues because he was fast with a smile when he made a particularly funny return.

“Jim also served our country in the army, and the navy has lost a proud graduate of the academy and test pilot. Jim Lovell embodied the bold resolution and optimism of past and future explorers, and we will always remember him. ”

For more information on the career of NASA Lovell and its agency biography, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/former-astronaut-james-a-lovell

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Grace Bartlinski / Cheryl Warner
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
Grace.bartlinksi@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov