James ‘Jim' Lovell

A space veteran who completed four impressive missions, including the ill-fated Apollo 13

A retired NASA astronaut who flew on Gemini and Apollo missions, Lovell is most famous for his role as commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13. At the time of the mission, Lovell had spent more time in space than anyone in the world, and in total logged over 700 hours in space.

Lovell was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in March 1928. He developed an interest in rocket science as a high school student and went on to study engineering at the University of Wisconsin. Lovell then attended the United States Naval Academy, where he graduated with a bachelor of science degree in 1952.

In 1958, Lovell graduated from the Navy’s test pilot school, spending the next several years testing fighter aircraft and other jets. The Navy’s test pilots were among the best aviators in the country, and as such were prime candidates for NASA’s astronaut program in the early 1960s.