Tom Hanks Honors Apollo 13’s Jim Lovell Following His Death

LOS ANGELES, CA — Tom Hanks paid tribute to astronaut Jim Lovell, who passed away on August 7 at the age of 97. The actor admired Lovell for his extraordinary achievements in space exploration, especially during the Apollo 13 mission.

Hanks shared a heartfelt message on social media after the news of Lovell’s death was announced. He wrote, “There are people who dare, who dream, and who lead others to places 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.”

Lovell commanded Apollo 13, a mission that famously encountered peril when an oxygen tank exploded about 200,000 miles from Earth in 1970. The crew, which included astronauts Jack Swigert and Fred Haise, had to abort their lunar landing and instead navigate safely back home.

During the mission, Lovell informed mission control of the issue with the now-iconic phrase, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” Hanks portrayed Lovell in the 1995 film “Apollo 13,” directed by Ron Howard. That film was nominated for nine Oscars and received two awards, including Best Film Editing.

In his tribute, Hanks praised Lovell’s dedication, stating, “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.”

After three intense days of drifting in space, the Apollo 13 crew made a successful splashdown in the South Pacific Ocean, turning a near-tragedy into a story of triumph. Lovell had appeared in the movie as the captain of the USS Iwo Jima, the naval ship that recovered the Apollo 13 crew.

Lovell’s contributions to space exploration went beyond Apollo 13; he was also part of the Gemini 7 and Gemini 12 missions and was the commander of Apollo 8, the first mission to orbit the moon.

A NASA statement honored Lovell for his courage and contribution, saying he helped transform potential tragedy into valuable lessons for future missions. The official cause of death has yet to be revealed.

Hanks concluded his message with a touching farewell: “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.”