JIM LOVELL

PROFILE

Full Name:

James Arthur LOVELL Jr.

Rank:

Captain, US Navy (Deceased).

Born:

25 March 1928, in Cleveland, Ohio, USA (American).

Died:

7 August 2025, in Lake Forest, Illinois, USA, aged 97.

Education:

1946: Graduated from Juneau High School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1946-48: Student, University of Wisconsin.

1952: BSc degree.

Career Highlights:

1946-48: After rejection by the USN Academy in 1946, he attended the University of Wisconsin and joined the USN Midshipman programme there.

1948-52: Student, USN Academy, Annapolis, Maryland.

1952-57: Completed naval pilot training; (1953) designated Naval Aviator; served as a naval fighter pilot in a variety of assignments.

1957-58: Student (Class 20), USN Test Pilot School, Patuxent River, Maryland.

1958-62: Completed a four-year tour as a test pilot at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland. In his career, Lovell logged over 7,000 hours flying time.

NASA ASTRONAUT ASSIGNMENTS

1962:

(17 Sep) Named as one of nine pilot astronauts for NASA Group 2 ("The Next Nine"); (1 Oct) began academic and basic training.

1963:

Academic and basic training; (26 Jan) Astronaut Office (Code CB) technical assignment in Recovery Systems; (6 Feb) formally completed academic training; basic, wilderness and survival training programme; (Jul) identified by Deke Slayton as BUp Pilot Gemini 4, to be rotated to fly as Pilot Gemini 7; re-adjusted crew assignments saw Lovell paired as Pilot with Command Pilot Frank Borman.

1964:

CB technical assignments; (8 Jul) assigned to CB Operations and Training Branch Office (until Jul 1965); (27 Jul) Named as BUp Pilot Gemini 4; Gemini 4 training, including EVA training.

1965:

Gemini 4 and EVA training; (Jun) BUp Pilot Gemini 4; (1 Jul) named as Pilot Gemini 7; Gemini 7 training; (4-18 Dec) flew as Pilot Gemini 7 (330 hrs 35 min, or 14 days), set new world endurance record (with Borman - held until June 1970) and completed first crewed rendezvous in space (with Gemini 6).

1966:

(25 Jan) Named BUp Command Pilot Gemini 10; Gemini mission training; (21 Mar) re-assigned as BUP Command Pilot Gemini 9 due to loss of original GT9 prime crew in a flying accident in February; Gemini mission training; (Jun) BUp Command Pilot Gemini 9; (27 Jun) named as Command Pilot Gemini 12; (11-16 Nov) flew as Command Pilot Gemini 12, the last flight of the programme (94 hrs 34 min).

1967:

CB technical assignments; (Jun 1967 - 1978) Consultant to President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports; (20 Nov) namred BUp Command Module Pilot (CMP) to Apollo 'E' deep space mission (Apollo 9) to apogee of 4,000 miles (6,437 km); Apollo mission training.

1968:

Apollo mission training; (Jul) re-assigned as CMP Apollo 9; Apollo mission training; (Aug) re-assigned as CMP from Apollo 9 to Apollo 8 lunar orbital mission; Apollo mission training; (21-27 Dec) flew as CMP Apollo 8 (147 hrs 0 min), first crewed flight of Saturn V rocket, first human flight beyond Earth orbit (mission included 10 lunar orbits).

1969:

(9 Jan) Named BUp Commander (CDR) Apollo 11; (Jan-Aug) original CDR Apollo 14; Apollo lunar landing mission training; (Jul) BUp CDR Apollo 11; (14 Aug) named as CDR Apollo 13 in re-assignment of crews; Apollo lunar landing mission training.

1970:

Apollo lunar landing mission training; (11-17 Apr) flew as CDR Apollo 13 (142 hrs 54 min), aborted third lunar landing mission due to in-flight explosion of Service Module; lost chance to become 5th person to walk on the Moon; first circumlunar crewed mission; became the first person to fly four space missions; ( ) took leave of absence to attend Harvard Business School.

1971:

Leave of absence to attend Harvard Business School; (20 Feb) named Deputy Director of Science and Applications, NASA MSC, Houston, the directorate responsible for the development of Apollo and Skylab scientific experiments.

1972:

Deputy Director of Science and Applications, NASA MSC, Houston.

1973:

Deputy Director of Science and Applications, NASA MSC, Houston; (1 Mar) resigned from NASA and retired from the US Navy with the rank of Captain.

POST-ASTRONAUT EXPERIENCE

1 Mar 1973 - 1 Jan 1977:

Senior Executive Vice President, Bay Houston Towing Company; (1 Mar 1975) promoted to Company President and CEO.

1 Jan 1977 - 1 Jan 1981:

President, Fisk Telephone Systems Inc., Houston.

1 Jan 1981 - 1 Jan 1991:

Group Vice President, Business Communications Systems, a Centel Corporation and Fisk's parent company; (1991) retired from Centel as Executive Vice President and member of Board of Directors.

From 1991:

Consultant and public speaker; (1994) autobiography Lost Moon published and was later (1995) turned into the movie Apollo 13, with Tom Hanks taking the part of Lovell; Chariman, Mission HOME (Harnessing the Opportunities for Mother Earth) to educate the public in the benefits of space activity.

Jim LOVELL Space Flight Missions

Mission

Vehicle

Position

Dates

DD/MM/YY

Duration

DD:HH:MM:SS

Orbits

EVAs

Gemini 7

Titan II

Pilot

04/12/1965-18/12/1965

13:18:35:01

206

0

Gemini 12

Titan II

Command Pilot

11/11/1966-15/11/1966

03:22:34:31

59

0

Apollo 8

Saturn V

CM Pilot

21/12/1968-27/12/1968

06:03:00:42

1.5*

0

Apollo 13

Saturn V

Commander

11/04/1970-17/04/1970

05:22:54:41

1.5

0

Missions Flown:

4

Total Flight Time:

29:19:04:55

268

0

*Lovell also completed 10 lunar orbits

Space Explorer Achievements

First person to complete four space flights.

Only person to fly to the Moon twice without landing on the surface.