Astronaut and Apollo 13 mission commander, Jim Lovell, passes away at 97 years old.
Jim Lovell, the legendary NASA astronaut who commanded the Apollo 13 mission in April 1970, passed away this past week at the age of 97. Lovell was best known for his role in the Apollo 13 mission, where an oxygen tank explosion occurred aboard the spacecraft.
During the mission, Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert initially reported, "OK, Houston, we've had a problem." Lovell followed with, "Ah, Houston, we've had a problem here." The more famous phrase "Houston, we have a problem" was popularized later, especially by the 1995 film Apollo 13 starring Tom Hanks, and is a slight misquote of the original transmissions.
Lovell jokingly wished he had copyrighted the phrase, which has since become a common expression used by people when they encounter problems. He also humorously admitted to using the phrase around his house.
The iconic phrase from the Apollo 13 mission became even more significant as the three astronauts aboard the spacecraft made it safely home despite the explosion. Lovell mentioned the main B bus undervolt during the mission, which was a critical issue they faced.
Jack Swigert, who said "Houston, we've had a problem here" during the mission, and Lovell, who repeated the phrase with "Ah, Houston, we've had a problem here," both demonstrated the calm and professional demeanour that is synonymous with NASA's astronauts.
Jim Lovell was a NASA astronaut who flew in space four times, including the Apollo 8 and Apollo 13 missions. He clarified that the official transcript of his statement during the Apollo 13 mission reads "Houston, we've had a problem."
The 1995 film about the Apollo 13 mission features Tom Hanks portraying Jim Lovell. Lovell's passing marks the end of an era, as he was one of the last surviving members of the Apollo 13 crew. His contributions to space exploration and his bravery during the Apollo 13 mission will never be forgotten.
[1] Smith, A. (2019). Apollo 13: The Illustrated Story. DK Publishing.
[2] Chalmers, D. (2000). A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts. Harper Perennial.
[4] Nasa. (2021). Apollo 13. Retrieved from https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo13.html
[5] Schmitz, D. (2017). Apollo 13: The NASA Story. University Press of Florida.
In the world of science, Jim Lovell's bravery during the Apollo 13 mission sparked his love for sports, as he often compared the pressure in space to that of a crucial game-winning moment in sports. Simultaneously, his interest in space-and-astronomy expanded beyond the boundaries of Earth, leading him to ponder about the possibilities of competitive space sports one day.
