Alert – NASA astronaut Jim Lovell remembered by Apollo 13 star Tom Hanks after his death at 97

Tom Hanks shared a moving tribute to the late Jim Lovell on Friday, following his death at 97.

The 69-year-old actor was well acquainted with the former NASA astronaut’s accomplishments after having played him in Ron Howard’s film Apollo 13.

Lovell commanded the failed Apollo lunar mission in 1970, but he helped to rescue himself and his crew mates by returning the ship back to Earth after an oxygen tank had exploded on the voyage through space.

In a text post shared on Instagram, Hanks wrote, ‘There are people who dare, who dream, and who lead others to the place we would not go on our own. 

‘Jim Lovell, who for a long while had gone farther into space and for longer than any other person of our planet, was that kind of guy,’ he continued. ‘His many voyages around Earth and on to so-very-close to the moon were not made for riches or celebrity, but because such challenges as those are what fuels the course of being alive — and who better than Jim Lovell to make those voyages. 

‘On this night of a full Moon, he passes on — to the heavens, to the cosmos, to the stars. God speed you, on this next voyage, Jim Lovell,’ Hanks concluded.

Tom Hanks, 69, shared a moving statement on Instagram on Friday in memory of former NASA astronaut Jim Lovell after his death at 97; still from Apollo 13 (1995)

Hanks played Lovell in 1995’s Apollo 13; pictured with his late costar Bill Paxton (L)

Lovell commanded the failed Apollo lunar mission in 1970, but he helped to rescue himself and his crew mates by returning the ship back to Earth after an oxygen tank had exploded on the voyage through space

In 1995, Hanks starred as Lovell in the box office hit Apollo 13, which also starred Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton and Gary Sinise as fellow astronauts Jack Swigert, Fred Haise and Ken Mattingly, respectively, though Mattingly was grounded and replaced by Swigert shortly before the start of the mission. 

Ed Harris rounded out the NASA ensemble as Flight Director Gene Kranz, while Kathleen Quinlan played Lovell’s wife Marilyn.

The film received stellar reviews and was a box office hit, grossing more than $355 million against a $52 million budget.

It was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and it won two, for Best Film Editing and Best Sound.

In 1998, Hanks, a longtime support of NASA and an advocate for space exploration, produced the HBO miniseries From The Earth To The Moon, which traced the history of NASA Apollo program and lunar exploration.

In 2005, Hanks co-wrote and co-produced the IMAX film Magnificent Desolation: Walking On The Moon 3D, and in 2023 he narrated the London-based immersive exhibit The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks.

The same year, he joked about the extremes he was willing to go to in exchange for a chance to visit the moon.

‘I would like to be the guy in charge of serving food and making jokes to and from the moon,’ he said. ‘If there was room, I would be the guy that cleans up, makes jokes, tells stories and keeps everybody entertained.’

In his statement, Hanks praised Lovell as one of the ‘people who dare, who dream, and who lead others to the place we would not go on our own’

He starred in Apollo 13 in 1995 for director Ron Howard. The film was a hit with critics and grossed $355M against a $52M budget, while also winning two Oscars; seen May 28 in NYC

Hanks has been a longtime NASA booster and an advocate for space exploration. In 1993 he produced the HBO miniseries From The Earth To The Moon, and he has worked on several small projects in recent years related to lunar exploration; still from Apollo 13

In 1995, Lovell told Conan O’Brien that he let Hanks fly his plane at night near his home in Texas to experience what it was like to fly through the pitch black of outer space; Hanks, Lovell and former President Bill Clinton pictured in 1995 at the White House

In a 1995 interview on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Lovell told the comedian how he let Hanks fly his plane near his Texas home at night to experience something close to what it was like to travel through the pitch black of outer space.

‘You let Forrest Gump take the controls of the plane?’ O’Brien said in shock. 

‘Yeah, yeah, I was worried about that,’ Lovell joked. ‘But my niece went to see the movie and she said, ‘Well I knew that they’d make it OK because Forrest Gump was flying.’

NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced Lovell’s passing, saying the astronaut’s life and work ‘inspired millions of people across the decades.’

‘Jim’s character and steadfast courage helped our nation reach the moon and turned a potential tragedy into a success from which we learned an enormous amount,’ Duffy said. ‘We mourn his passing even as we celebrate his achievements.

‘From a pair of pioneering Gemini missions to the successes of Apollo, Jim helped our nation forge a historic path in space that carries us forward to upcoming Artemis missions to the moon and beyond.’

Lovell was a veteran of four spaceflights: Gemini VII, Gemini XII, Apollo 8 and Apollo 13. 

Born in Ohio, he graduated from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, becoming a test pilot.

Lovell (center), a veteran of four space missions, helped turn a failed moon mission into a success by safely bringing the crew back to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded; pictured with Fred Haise (L) and Ken Mattingly (R)

Lovell served as a flight instructor and safety officer until 1963, when NASA selected him for a crewed space program. 

The 1968 Apollo 8 crew, with Lovell, Frank Borman and William Anders, was the first to leave Earth’s orbit and the first to fly to and circle the moon.

Though they could not land on the lunar surface, their mission still put the US ahead of the Soviets in the space race. 

Letter writers said the crew’s historic ‘pale blue dot’ photo of Earth from the moon, a world first, and their Christmas Eve reading from Genesis helped lift America during the turbulent year.

That year saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr and Robert F Kennedy, the Tet Offensive in Vietnam and widespread protests against the Vietnam War and for civil rights.

The three astronauts broadcast a reading about Jesus’ birth to a worldwide television audience.

They each read portions of the first 10 verses of Genesis, marking a historic moment in space exploration and a cultural touchstone.

‘As the Command Module Pilot for Apollo 8, Jim and his crewmates became the first to lift off on a Saturn V rocket and orbit the Moon, proving that the lunar landing was within our reach, Duffy shared.

Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks played Lovell in director Ron Howard’s acclaimed 1995 film, ‘Apollo 13’

NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced the commander’s passing, saying the astronaut’s life and work ‘inspired millions of people across the decades.’ Lovell was a veteran of four spaceflights: Gemini VII, Gemini XII, Apollo 8 and Apollo 13

‘As commander of the Apollo 13 mission, his calm strength under pressure helped return the crew safely to Earth and demonstrated the quick thinking and innovation that informed future NASA missions.’ 

The Apollo 13 mission, planned as the third lunar landing, was cut short when an oxygen tank in the Service Module exploded. 

The blast, which happened roughly two days into the flight, severely damaged the spacecraft and knocked out the command module’s life support and electrical systems. 

‘The thought crossed our mind that we were in deep trouble. But we never dwelled on it,’ Lovell said in the NASA interview. 

‘We never admitted to ourselves that, ‘Hey, we’re not going to make it.’ Well, only one time – when Fred looked at … the lunar module and found out we had about 45 hours worth of power and we were 90 hours from home.’ 

Lovell and his crew, working closely with Mission Control, saved Apollo 13 by quickly adapting the lunar module into a lifeboat after an explosion crippled their spacecraft. 

They relied on the module’s resources and engines to navigate around the moon and safely return to Earth, overcoming critical challenges such as limited oxygen, low power, and increasing carbon dioxide levels. 

People worldwide were captivated by the events unfolding in space, and got a happy ending. 

Apollo 13 was nearly doomed when it attempted to land on the moon, but the crew improvised and made it back to Earth safely (pictured)

The astronauts altered course to fly a single time around the moon and back to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean near Samoa on April 17, 1970. 

‘Known for his wit, this unforgettable astronaut was nicknamed Smilin’ Jim by his fellow astronauts because he was quick with a grin when he had a particularly funny comeback, said Duffy.

‘Jim also served our country in the military, and the Navy has lost a proud academy graduate and test pilot. 

‘Jim Lovell embodied the bold resolve and optimism of both past and future explorers, and we will remember him always.’ 

Lovell, who later had a moon crater named in his honor, retired as an astronaut in 1973, working first for a harbor towing company and then in telecommunications.

Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks played Lovell in director Ron Howard’s acclaimed 1995 film, ‘Apollo 13.’ 

The movie was inspired by Lovell’s  1994 book, ‘Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13.’

Lovell recalled a meeting with Howard in which the director asked the astronaut which actor he would want to play him. 

‘I said, ‘Kevin Costner,” Lovell said. ‘And Hanks never lets me forget that… But Hanks did a great job.’

Lovell made a cameo appearance in the film as the commander of the US Navy ship that retrieves the astronauts and shakes hands with Hanks.

Lovell had four children with his wife, Marilyn, who died in 2023.