Jim Lovell, the astronaut famous for safely bringing the Apollo 13 crew back to Earth after a critical spacecraft explosion, has died at the age of 97.

NASA praised Lovell for turning what could have been a tragedy into a remarkable success during the 1970 mission, which was originally aimed at landing on the Moon but had to be aborted due to the explosion hundreds of thousands of miles from Earth.

Tens of millions of people watched as Lovell and his two fellow astronauts safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean,  a moment now remembered as one of the most iconic in space history.

Lovell was also part of the Apollo 8 mission and became the first person to travel to the Moon twice, though he never actually stepped on its surface.

Acting NASA head Sean Duffy said Lovell helped the American space program "forge a historic path." His family said, "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."

Lovell’s fascination with rockets began early. At 16, he built a homemade rocket in Wisconsin using gunpowder ingredients. Wearing a welder's helmet, he ignited it, and it shot 80 feet into the air before exploding.

This youthful experiment was no mere stunt, it set the course for his life and career as an American hero.

Born on March 25, 1928, Lovell grew up loving airplanes. After losing his father in a car crash when he was five, he joined the US Navy, which helped pay for his college while training him as a pilot.

Despite restrictions on marriage during his studies, Lovell married his high school sweetheart, Marilyn Gerlach, just hours after graduating in 1952. Their marriage lasted more than 70 years until her death in 2023.

Lovell’s thesis at the Navy Academy focused on liquid-fuel engines, a field few pursued at the time. Although assigned to fly jets off aircraft carriers, he longed to work with rockets. His opportunity came in 1962 when NASA selected him as one of the "New Nine" astronauts tasked with fulfilling President Kennedy’s goal of landing on the Moon.

His first spaceflight was aboard Gemini 7, which tested whether humans could survive two weeks in space. He next commanded Gemini 12 with Buzz Aldrin, proving that astronauts could work outside their spacecraft.

Apollo 8 was NASA’s boldest mission to date, traveling beyond Earth’s orbit to circle the Moon. Lovell, as navigator, carried a sextant to take star readings in case computers failed.

The crew made history as the first humans to see the Moon’s far side, sharing the now-famous image of Earth rising over the lunar horizon.

On Christmas Eve 1968, Lovell read from the Book of Genesis during a broadcast that united people around the world.

Apollo 13, launched in April 1970, turned into a fight for survival. While nearing the Moon, an oxygen tank exploded, crippling the spacecraft.

Lovell and his crew used the lunar module as a lifeboat, even though it lacked a heat shield for Earth re-entry. After tense days rationing supplies and battling freezing temperatures, they safely returned home.

“For four days," Marilyn Lovell said, "I didn’t know if I was a wife or a widow.” Millions watched anxiously as the crew’s fate hung in the balance, and their safe return was hailed as NASA’s greatest failure and finest hour.

Lovell retired from the Navy in 1973 and lived a quieter life working in the private sector, giving speeches, and leading the National Eagle Scout Association.

His 1994 book, Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, inspired the 1995 movie starring Tom Hanks. When asked to appear in the film as an admiral shaking hands with Hanks, Lovell insisted on wearing his real Navy captain’s uniform, saying, "I retired as a captain, and a captain I will be."