Astronaut James Lovell, famed Apollo 13 commander, dies at 97

Summary

Lovell was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1982, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1993 and National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1998. A crater on the far side of the moon was named for Lovell in 1970. In 2009, he was awarded a piece of the moon as part of NASA's Ambassador of Exploration Award, which Lovell placed on display at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum in Lexington Park, Maryland. A statue of Lovell with his two Apollo 13 crewmates stands inside the Saturn V building at Johnson Space Center's George W.S. Abbey Rocket Park in Houston. Lovell's legacy In 2005, Lovell donated his personal collection of NASA memorabilia to the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, where it is on display in the "Mission Moon" exhibition. With Lovell's death, only five out of the 24 people who flew to the moon during the Apollo program remain living (Buzz Aldrin, 95; Fred Haise, 91; David Scott, 93; Charlie Duke, 89; and Harrison Schmitt, 90). Lovell is survived by his children, Barbara Harrison, James Lovell III, Susan Lovell, and Jeffrey Lovell; 11 grandchildren; and nine great grandchildren. Lovell was preceded in death by his wife Marilyn Lovell and parents James Lovell, Sr, and Blanche Lovell (Masek). "We are enormously proud of his amazing life and career accomplishments, highlighted by his legendary leadership in pioneering human space flight," said Lovell's family in a statement. "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." A memorial service and burial will be held at the Naval Academy in Annapolis on a date still to be announced.