Which Apollo 13 mission commander, whose story was made into a famous 1995 film, died on August 7, 2025, at age 97?

The individual in question is James "Jim" Lovell Jr., a revered figure in space exploration history. He passed away on August 7, 2025, at the age of 97. Lovell is most famously known for commanding the Apollo 13 mission, a harrowing journey that captivated the world.

Launched on April 11, 1970, the Apollo 13 mission, intended to be the third lunar landing, encountered a catastrophic oxygen tank explosion two days into its flight, nearly 200,000 miles from Earth. Alongside crewmates Fred Haise and Jack Swigert, Lovell bravely guided the severely damaged spacecraft. The crew, with critical assistance from ground control, ingeniously used the lunar module as a "lifeboat" to conserve resources and navigate a perilous return trajectory around the Moon and safely back to Earth. This extraordinary feat of survival and ingenuity is often called a "successful failure" by NASA.

The dramatic events of Apollo 13 were immortalized in a highly acclaimed 1995 film, also titled "Apollo 13," starring Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell. The movie was an adaptation of Lovell's own book, "Lost Moon," which recounted the mission's challenges and the crew's resilience. The real Jim Lovell even made a cameo appearance in the film.

Lovell's leadership during the crisis, his prior service as command module pilot for Apollo 8, which was the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon, and his legacy as an astronaut who flew into space four times, cemented his place as an American hero.