AKA James Arthur Lovell, Jr.
Birthplace: Cleveland, OH
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Apollo 13
Military service: US Navy
A former Navy test pilot, Jim Lovell is best known as the Spacecraft Commander of the dramatic Apollo 13 flight (11-17 April 1970). The mission attracted anxious world attention when the Service Module cryogenic oxygen system failed, leaving astronauts and ground command scrambling to find some way to bring the crew home safely despite their crippled space craft. Amid cheers around the globe, Lovell and crewmembers John Swigert and Fred Haise converted their lunar module into a "lifeboat" that would keep them alive until their return to Earth.
Previously, Lovell had served as Command Module Pilot and Navigator aboard Apollo 8, the lunar orbiting mission that made Lovell, Frank Borman, and William Anders the first humans to escape the Earth's gravity. Earlier still he had flown on the Gemini 7 and Gemini 12 missions with Frank Borman and Buzz Aldrin, respectively). During his 4 space missions Lovell accumulated over 715 hours of space flight time, a record that remained unsurpassed until the Skylab flights.
On 1 March 1973, Captain Lovell retired from both the Navy and NASA. He is currently a retired businessman and a consultant to the Physical Fitness Council. He has received numerous awards and honors including the Presidential Medal for Freedom, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and two Navy Distinguished Flying Crosses. Lovell's dramatic Apollo 13 adventure was captured in the 1995 film of the same name.
Wife: Marilyn Gerlach (m. 6-Jun-1952)
Son: James (b. 1955)
Son: Jeffrey (b. 1966)
Daughter: Susan (b. 1958)
Daughter: Barbara (b. 1953)
University: University of Wisconsin
University: BS, US Naval Academy, Annapolis (1952)
University: Aviation Safety School, University of Southern California (1961)
President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Chairman (1967-78)
American Astronautical Society Fellow
Association of Space Explorers
Lindbergh Foundation Board of Directors
National Space Society Board of Governors
Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity
Congressional Space Medal of Honor 1995
Distinguished Flying Cross twice
Time Person of the Year 1968
National Aviation Hall of Fame
French Legion of Honor
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Eagle Scout 1943
Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
The Last Man on the Moon (8-Jun-2014)
In the Shadow of the Moon (19-Jan-2007) · Himself
For All Mankind (Jan-1989) [VOICE]
The Man Who Fell to Earth (28-May-1976) · Himself
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