Jim Lovell, commander of Apollo 13 and Silver Buffalo recipient, dies at 97

Jim Lovell, the Eagle Scout astronaut whose leadership is credited with helping save the lives of the entire Apollo 13 crew, has died. He was 97.

Lovell (Eagle Class of 1943) was a veteran of four spaceflights and a huge proponent of Scouting. He served as Chairman of the National Eagle Scout Association Board of Regents for 10 years and received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in 1990 and NESA’s Distinguished Service Award in 2023.

In 1992, he received the Silver Buffalo, Scouting’s highest commendation for volunteers.

“Jim Lovell was a true American who inspired generations the world over,” says Chief Scout Executive Roger Krone. “He epitomized the spirit of what it means to be a Scout. On behalf of Scouts everywhere, we salute his legacy and service to the nation and Scouting.”

In addition to the accolades he earned for his contributions to Scouting, Lovell earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and two Navy Distinguished Flying Cross awards.

As a member of Gemini 7, Lovell became the first Eagle Scout astronaut to fly into space.

But Lovell is best known for his actions during one of the biggest crises in NASA history. When an oxygen tank exploded during the 1970 Apollo 13 mission to the moon, Lovell and his crewmates had to get creative to get home. Facing a shortage of water and electrical power and increasingly dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, Apollo 13 splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean after almost six days in space.

A Scouter in Action

In 1995, Lovell’s heroism during the Apollo 13 mission gained renewed popularity with the release of the Apollo 13 movie, in which Lovell was played by Tom Hanks. The film, largely considered a critical and commercial success, used a popular misquote of a phrase that has come to describe any sudden problem that seems to emerge out of nowhere.

In real life, it was Jack Swigert, the command module pilot, who first reported to mission control: “OK, Houston. We’ve had a problem here.” When asked for clarification, Lovell chimed in: “Ah, Houston, we’ve had a problem.”

But the movie’s writers and producers had Hanks recite the line as the public expected him to say it — “Houston, we have a problem” — not what was actually said, and to this day it remains one of the most popular misquotes of all time.

As the command module pilot for Apollo 8 in 1968, Lovell and his crewmates became the first to lift off on a Saturn V rocket and orbit the moon, “proving that a lunar landing was within our reach,” according to a statement from NASA’s website on Lovell’s passing.

Lovell, who once held the record for the most time spent in space, was the backup commander on the Apollo 11 mission; he would have taken the place of fellow Eagle Scout Neil Armstrong if Armstrong had been unable to fly that historic flight.

A lifetime of service to Scouting

After earning the rank of Eagle Scout in Milwaukee, Lovell remained dedicated to advancing the Scouting movement for much of his adult life.

In December 1965, he participated in an event known as “the first patrol meeting in space.” While the Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 space capsules were participating in a mission that signified major strides in human spaceflight, it was noted that every astronaut involved had been a Scout.

In 1970, he contributed an article to Scouting magazine promoting the importance of physical fitness.

In the 1970s, he served as a National Council member-at-large and as a member of the executive board of the Sam Houston Area Council.

In 1979, Lovell chaired a judging panel for an initiative called Project POSTAR, a campaign designed to give Explorers the opportunity to put scientific experiments into space.

During his time as chairman of NESA, he led national efforts to identify, recognize and engage Distinguished Eagle Scouts who had lost touch with the organization.

“It is universally acknowledged that Eagle Scouts are highly symbolic of all the finest that is inherent to Scouting,” Lovell said of the search to reconnect with what he called “missing Eagles.”

It seems obvious now, but Lovell was an early proponent of the concept that Eagle Scout alumni could turn into some of the best tools the organization has to help produce more Eagle Scouts.

“By full utilization of Eagle Scouts, we can do much to chart the future of Scouting,” he said.

In 1992, Lovell spoke at the National Annual Meeting in Cincinnati about the importance of Eagle Scouts doing their best to spread the word of Scouting.

“Eagle Scouts young and old,” he said, “are among the very best ambassadors of the movement … an invaluable asset to bridge the gap between past and present.”

From the Scouting America archives: Lovell and his Cub Scout son, Jeffrey, made an appearance at a camporee in Houston in 1976. Lovell and a Project POSTAR T-shirt in 1982. Jim Lovell portrait at top by NASA/JSC. 2009 photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images.