At the age of 97, he died on Thursday in Lake Forest, Illinois James Lovell, commander of the Apollo 13 pilot mission, who landed safely on Earth with a damaged spacecraft. This was announced on Friday by the National Aviation and Space Authority (NASA), informs TASR referring to AP.
His mother was of Czech origin, so he visited the Czech Republic several times. Served as a pilot at several maritime and air bases and chose it for the second group of American astronauts in September 1962. Lovell flew into space four times as part of Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8 and Apollo 13.
In December 1965, Gemini 7 passed with Frank Borman and lasted a record 14 days at that time. During its duration, there was a connection with Gemini 6a. It was the first connection of piloted spacecraft in Earth’s orbit. In less than a year, Lovell flew into space for the second time in Gemini 12, along with Cosmonaut Edwin Aldrin. This mission completed the program of piloted Gemini flights.
5th year 1968 The Apollo 8 crew composed of Lovell, Frank Borman and William Anders first to leave the Earth’s orbit and first to get the Moon. (a total of ten times) and saw his side with her own eyes.
For the fourth time and last time, Lovell found himself in space in April 1970 as the captain of the Apollo 13. On board with him were Fred Haise and John Swigert. The aim of the mission was to make a third landing of the human crew on the surface of the Moon. During the flight, however, 14 April occurred an explosion of one of the oxygen tanks, which seriously damaged the service module. The control center in Houston had to develop emergency scenarios over the next four days with immense efforts to make the crew in order to get back to the ground.
From President Richard Nixon, Lovell received the presidential medal of Freedom, one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States. On the motives of this event, Lost Moon, Lost Moon (lost Moon), was shot by Ron Howard in 1995 a film called Apollo 13.
After leaving NASA in 1973, Lovell became the president of The Bay-Houston Towing Company. Five years later, he started heading Fisk TelePhone Systems. He retired in 1991. In 2000, Lovell visited the Czech village Dolní Lukavice, where the ancestors of his mother came from, and received honorary citizenship there. Lovell left four children – two sons and two daughters.
