James Lovell, the commander of the Apollo 13 mission, passed away at 97 on Thursday in Lake Forest, Illinois, as announced by NASA. Lovell, a retired Navy captain, was a pivotal figure in NASA’s early space program, flying four missions: Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8, and Apollo 13. His Apollo 8 mission in 1968, alongside Frank Borman and William Anders, marked the first human journey to orbit the Moon, capturing the iconic “Earthrise” photo and delivering a memorable Christmas Eve reading from Genesis.

The Apollo 13 mission in 1970, intended as a lunar landing, became a legendary survival story after an oxygen tank explosion forced Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert to use the lunar module as a lifeboat for a perilous four-day return to Earth. Lovell’s calm leadership and NASA’s ground team’s ingenuity turned a potential tragedy into a celebrated triumph, later immortalized in the 1995 film ‘Apollo 13’.

Despite never walking on the Moon, Lovell’s contributions earned him the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1995. NASA praised his courage and character, noting his role in advancing lunar exploration and demonstrating human resilience. Lovell, born in 1928 in Cleveland, retired from NASA in 1973, later co-authoring “Lost Moon”, the basis for the ‘Apollo 13’ film, and running a restaurant in Chicago. He is survived by four children, following the death of his wife, Marilyn, in 2023. As of August 8, 2025, the number of surviving Apollo astronauts who flew to the Moon has further decreased with Lovell’s passing.

24 astronauts flew to the Moon during the Apollo program (missions 8, 10–17), and as of August 2025, only five remain alive: Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11, age 95), David Scott (Apollo 15, age 93), Charles Duke (Apollo 16, age 89), Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17, age 90), and Fred Haise (Apollo 13, age 91).

These astronauts, who either walked on or orbited the Moon, continue to share their experiences, with Aldrin and Duke notably active in public engagements. The recent deaths of William Anders (June 2024), Thomas Stafford (March 2024), and now James Lovell have reduced the number of living Apollo lunar mission veterans, underscoring the fading presence of this historic group.