Could have died in space in 1970, but died in his bed - the commander of the legendary Apollo 13 died at the age of 97

According to the National Space Agency, James Lovell died on 8 August 2025 at the age of 98. Most people know him from his participation in the autobiographical film Apollo 13. The mission, which was supposed to be the third moon landing, turned into a disaster and only thanks to a miracle and the endurance of the crew were they able to return from it alive.

Before Apollo

His journey into space began in the US Navy, where he served as a fighter pilot and aircraft tester. In 1962, Lovell was selected to join the NASA astronaut team, and three years later he flew on his first mission, Gemini 7. There he spent two weeks in a cramped spacecraft, setting a record for flight duration and performing the first rendezvous with another vehicle in space.

In 1967, he served on the commission that investigated the terrible tragedy that occurred with Apollo 1, when all the crew members were burned alive on the launch pad. He knew the dangers of space technology like no one else.

Later, there were Gemini 12 and an important page in his biography - Apollo 8 in 1968, the first human flight to the moon. Lovell's crew was the first in the world to see the back of the moon with their own eyes, and the photo <img alt="Earthrise. Illustration: William Anders, Apollo 8" div-image"="" height=" /> became immortal."</p><p>Jim Lovell was the commander of the backup crew for Apollo 11 and, if Neil Armstrong had fallen ill, would have been the first man on the moon.</p><h3>Apollo 13</h3><p>Lovell planned that the Apollo 13 mission would be the last of his space career. The mission was supposed to be the third lunar landing, and Lovell himself could have become the fifth man to set foot on the lunar surface. But everything went completely differently.</p><div class=" src="/media/uploads/nasa-apollo8-dec24-earthrise.jpg" title="Earthrise" width=""><img %d0%93%27%d1%8e%d1%81%d0%a2%d0%be%d0%9d%d0%95,_%d1%83_%d0%bd%d0%b0%d1%81_%d0%bf%d1%80%d0%be%d0%b1%d0%bb%d0%b5%d0%bc%d0%b0"="" alt="Jim Lovell in front of the Saturn V rocket, Apollo 13 mission, 1970. Illustration: NASA" height=" /> <br /><em>Jim Lovell in front of the Saturn V rocket, Apollo 13 mission, 1970. Illustration: NASA</em></div><p>On 14 April 1970, when the spacecraft was just flying from Earth to the Moon, an oxygen tank exploded, knocking out two of the three electric batteries. That's when Lovell's crew gave the world its second immortal phrase - <a href=" https:="" rel="noopener noreferrer" src="/media/uploads/news-080825d-lg-640x960.jpg" target="_blank" title="Jim Lovell in front of the Saturn V rocket" uk.wikipedia.org="" width="" wiki="">Houston, we have a problem.

. The operator on Earth asked to repeat the message.

After that, NASA set up a round-the-clock mission rescue headquarters. It was determined that the propulsion engine could not be switched off, as it could be damaged and explode when restarted. So it was a one-way flight, and we had to make sure it was a trip home. After making calculations, the Flight Centre decided to use the lunar module's engines to fly to Earth. The damaged craft made it to the Moon, but instead of landing as planned, it circled it and flew back to Earth. Lovell and his team realised that their chances of survival were negligible, and every mistake could be their last. Yet he and his team remained calm and focused.

On the way home, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the lunar module exceeded the safe limit. The lunar module was not designed for such a long stay of the crew, so the CO2 absorbers exhausted their resource. It was decided to pull the spacesuit hoses into the crew compartment of the lunar module and secure them with adhesive tape. Then one of the batteries overheated, but fortunately it turned out to be just a sensor error. Due to the lack of power, the astronauts could not switch on the heaters. The temperature inside the cramped module dropped to 11 degrees, but to the motionless astronauts it seemed even colder. Eventually, a gas leak from a damaged oxygen tank constantly deflected the ship, and the lunar module's engines had to periodically adjust the trajectory to avoid missing the Earth. At some point, the helium cylinder's safety valve also worked, releasing excess pressure, which spun the spacecraft and made it difficult to return it to its original position.

Before re-entering the Earth's atmosphere, it was necessary to undock from the lunar module, which acted as a lifeboat to bring the astronauts to Earth. But even this procedure was not easy because of the explosion. To move the lunar module away from the lander, they were rotated 45 degrees and disconnected in this position.

For the duration of the rescue mission, the USSR, Britain and France declared radio silence on the rescue mission frequencies, as communication with the astronauts was unstable due to a lack of power.

On 17 April, at 18:07, the lander successfully re-entered the Earth. All mission participants returned home unharmed. For their endurance and professionalism, the astronauts and Houston ground services were awarded the highest state decoration, the Medal of Freedom. To prevent similar problems, the planned launch of Apollo 14 was postponed for 5 months.

After

Jim Lovell worked for a short time at NASA in an administrative position as Deputy Director for Science. After leaving NASA and the Navy in 1973, Lovell went into business: he headed several companies, managed telecommunications and maritime enterprises. He even opened his own restaurant in Lake Forest, Illinois, where he lived until his last days. Despite his new career path, Lovell remained a symbol of the era, speaking at conferences, supporting educational programmes, and telling young people that space was worth the risk.

His story inspired not only scientists and students, but also Hollywood. In 1995, the film Apollo 13 starring Tom Hanks reminded the world who Jim Lovell was again. He made a cameo appearance in the final scene as the captain of an aircraft carrier who meets the rescued crew. For millions of viewers, Lovell became the embodiment of calm in chaos and a life-saving mind.

After Lovell's death, only five of the 24 people who flew to the moon survived: Buzz Aldrin, 95, Fred Haise, 91, David Scott, 93, Charlie Duke, 89, and Harrison Schmitt, 90.

He never set foot on the moon, although he came very close twice. But this is perhaps the most accurate definition of his path: not always getting where he planned, but always making it to a safe return. Lovell has left behind not only a technical legacy, but also a lesson - the real victory lies in keeping alive, even when the main goal remains over the horizon.

Based on materials: collectspace.com, arstechnica.com, wikipedia.org