Former astronaut Captain James (Jim) Lovell talks about the 50th anniversary of Apollo 13.

Jim Lovell, who was among the first astronauts to leave Earth’s gravitational pull, has died, NASA announced. He was portrayed by Tom Hanks in the movie "Apollo 13," which dramatized the nearly disastrous mission Lovell deftly guided back to Earth.

The space pioneer known for his work on the Gemini and Apollo missions died on Aug. 7 in Lake Forest, Illinois, according to NASA. Lovell was 97.

He served as the command module pilot for the Apollo 8 mission to the moon and, along with his crew, became the first to lift off on a Saturn V rocket and orbit the moon. When an oxygen tank exploded during the Apollo 13 mission on April 13, 1970, Lovell told ground control, "Houston, we've had a problem," and then helped lead the 3-man crew on a rescue mission back to Earth.

Remembrances poured in from generations of astronauts, and acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy.

“NASA sends its condolences to the family of Capt. Jim Lovell, whose life and work inspired millions of people across the decades. Jim’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," Duffy said in a statement. "We mourn his passing even as we celebrate his achievements."

Lovell made four voyages into outer space but never left his footprint on the moon, a disappointment for the overachiever. He was supposed to be the fifth person to walk on the moon on Apollo 13.

"I'm very proud of 13 even though I didn't land on the moon," he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network. "That was a disappointment for me, but then a lot of people landed on the moon."

Lowell, who was raised in Milwaukee, sat down for a lengthy interview with the USA TODAY Network paper in his hometown in 2020.

Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said Lovell inspired millions.

"Jim'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," Duffy, said in a statement.

Who is Jim Lovell?

Lovell, who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, became an astronaut in 1962 and launched into space three years later on the historic Gemini VII mission, according to his NASA biography. Lovell also commanded the Gemini XII mission, a four-day flight that brought the program to an end.

Lovell and his crew became the first people to leave Earth's gravitational pull on the 1968 Apollo 8 mission to the moon, and he was set to make another voyage to the moon two years later on his fourth mission, Apollo 13. But the lunar landing was averted after an oxygen tank exploded during the voyage.

The astronauts faced an extreme shortage of water and power, as well as dangerous levels of carbon dioxide.

Lovell and his crew raced against the clock along with NASA personnel on the ground in Houston to convert the lunar module into a "lifeboat" to keep them alive in space while they navigated back to Earth, using the sun as a guide. Their perilous journey home was later chronicled in 1995's "Apollo 13," the Oscar-winning film, with Tom Hanks starring as Lovell.

Lovell retired from the Navy and the Space Program in 1973 to join Bay-Houston Towing Company in Houston, Texas.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jim Lovell, famed astronaut and Apollo 13 mission commander, dead at 97

Reporting by N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Michael Loria, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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