The San Diego Air & Space Museum Remembers NASA Astronaut Jim Lovell, who traveled to the Moon twice aboard the famous Apollo 8 and Apollo 13 missions

The San Diego Air & Space Museum is remembering Jim Lovell, the Commander of the famed Apollo 13 mission and Command Module Pilot on the historic Apollo 8 mission in December 1968.  

During his career, Lovell was the first astronaut to go to space four times and as part of the Apollo 8 crew, the first to launch on the Saturn V rocket and first to orbit the Moon.

San Diego, CA – The San Diego Air & Space Museum is remembering Jim Lovell, who traveled to the Moon twice – first as the Command Module Pilot on the historic Apollo 8 mission in December 1968 and again as the Commander of the near catastrophic but ultimately heroic Apollo 13 mission in April 1970. Lovell passed away on August 7, 2025 in Lake Forest, Illinois. He was 97 years old.

During his career, Lovell was the first astronaut to go to space four times and as part of the Apollo 8 crew, the first to launch on the Saturn V rocket and first to orbit the Moon. He was inducted into the prestigious International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in 1990.

“Jim Lovell was such an incredible and accomplished pilot and leader, who as Commander of Apollo 13 helped successfully guide his wounded ship and crew safely back to Earth. Additionally, the daring and bravery of Apollo 8’s crew of Lovell, Bill Anders and Frank Borman, who were the first astronauts to fly to the Moon, is considered by many to the be one of the brightest – if not the brightest – moments in the American Space program’s quest to walk the Moon. Because of them we knew flying to the Moon was possible. Both missions – Apollo 13 and Apollo 8 – are two of the most incredible feats in the history of NASA, and Jim Lovell was an integral part of the success of both,” said Jim Kidrick, President & CEO of the San Diego Air & Space Museum. “Jim loved his wonderful wife Marilyn – who he had the distinct pleasure of naming a mountain on the Moon for – and his amazing family dearly. I considered him a close friend and he has always been a personal inspiration to me. He was very much a great friend to the San Diego Air & Space Museum and our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.”

In a statement, Lovell’s family said:

“We are saddened to announce the passing of our beloved father, USN Captain James A. “Jim” Lovell, a Navy pilot and officer, astronaut, leader and space explorer. He was 97.

“We are enormously proud of his amazing life and career accomplishments, highlighted by his legendary leadership in pioneering human space flight. But, to all of us, he was Dad, Granddad, and the Leader of our family. Most importantly, he was our Hero. We will miss his unshakeable optimism, his sense of humor, and the way he made each of us feel we could do the impossible. He was truly one of a kind.”

James A. Lovell, Jr. graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1952. He became a test pilot in 1958, and was selected by NASA for astronaut training in 1962. Lovell accompanied Frank Borman on the record-breaking 14-day flight of Gemini 7. Launched December 4, 1965, Gemini 7 was joined in space by Gemini 6, accomplishing the first successful space rendezvous.

His second flight of the Gemini program was with Buzz Aldrin on Gemini 12 in November 1966, the last flight of the highly successful Gemini program. Lovell’s first two spaceflights, Gemini VII and Gemini XII, were designed to demonstrate how humans could live in weightlessness and to test rendezvous and docking technologies essential for subsequent Moon landings and space station operations.

On December 21, 1968, Lovell, Borman, and Anders became the first men to leave Earth’s gravity and orbit the Moon. During the Apollo 8 mission, Anders took the famous “Earthrise” photo, the first time humans were able to see the Earth from deep space. Apollo 8 was the first of three flights preparatory to the Moon landing of Apollo 11.

With astronauts Fred W. Haise, John L. Swigert, Jr., and Lovell aboard, Apollo 13 lifted off on April 11, 1970, headed for the Fra Mauro Hills on the moon. On April 13, approximately 205,000 miles from Earth, an explosion on board forced the abandonment of the mission. With the successful return of Apollo 13 on April 17th, Lovell had completed over 715 hours of space travel. In 1971 Lovell became a deputy director of the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas. He retired from the Navy and the space program in 1973.

Since 1963, the International Air & Space Hall of Fame has honored the world’s most significant pilots, crew members, visionaries, inventors, aerospace engineers, business leaders, preservationists, designers and space explorers. Lovell entered the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in 1990.

The International Air & Space Hall of Fame is the most prestigious induction of its kind in the world and is composed of hundreds of air and space pioneers, engineers, inventors and innovators, along with adventurers, scientists and industry leaders.  NASA Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts and Russian cosmonauts are honored in the Hall, as well as famous legends such as the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Neil Armstrong and Amelia Earhart. Notable inductees also include Buzz Aldrin, Igor Sikorsky, Wernher von Braun, Jack Northrop, Jackie Cochran, William Boeing, Sr., Reuben H. Fleet, Glenn Curtiss, Walter Zable Sr., Fran Bera, Wally Schirra, Bill Anders, Jim Lovell, T. Claude Ryan, Jimmy Doolittle, Bob Hoover, Ellen Ochoa, Peggy Whitson, Linden Blue, Patty Wagstaff, and many more.  See the following link: http://sandiegoairandspace.org/exhibits/online-exhibit-page/international-air-space-hall-of-fame.

To read more about Jim Lovell, visit his International Air & Space Hall of Fame page here: https://sandiegoairandspace.org/hall-of-fame/honoree/james-lovell

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The San Diego Air & Space Museum is California’s official air and space museum and education center. The Museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and was the first aero-themed Museum to be accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum was voted the top Aviation Museum in California and one of the “10 Best Aviation Museum’s Around the U.S.” The Museum also is home to the prestigious International Air & Space Hall of Fame. The Museum is located at 2001 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA 92101. The Museum and gift store are open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with admissions until 4:30 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.