US Astronaut Jim Lovell, Apollo 13 Commander, Dead At 97

US astronaut Jim Lovell, the commander of the Apollo 13 mission to the Moon which nearly ended in disaster in 1970 after a mid-flight explosion, has died at the age of 97, NASA announced Friday.

Lovell was a four-time spaceflight veteran and is remembered for his leadership during the Apollo 13 mission, which faced a near-disaster after an oxygen tank explosion.

Lovell, who was played by actor Tom Hanks in the 1995 movie “Apollo 13,” never made it to the lunar surface, but was considered one of the greats of the US lunar space program.

“NASA sends its condolences to the family of Capt. Jim Lovell, whose life and work inspired millions of people across the decades,” the US space agency said in a statement, adding that the astronaut died on Thursday in a Chicago suburb.

Launched on April 11, 1970 — nine months after Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon — Apollo 13 was intended to be humanity’s third lunar landing.

However, an oxygen tank exploded on the way there.

The disaster prompted Lovell’s crewmate Jack Swigert to famously tell mission control: “Houston, we’ve had a problem.”

Lovell then repeated the phrase, according to NASA.

He was the first astronaut to fly in space four times. He participated in two Gemini missions and was one of the first three astronauts to orbit the Moon on Apollo 8.

Lovell’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,” NASA said.

Before his NASA career, Lovell was a Navy test pilot. He logged a total of 715 hours in space.

Lovell's "life and work inspired millions of people across the decades," according to NASA. His story is a testament to the courage and ingenuity of the human spirit in the face of adversity. He is remembered as an American hero and a pioneer in space exploration.