Astronaut Brought to Life by Tom Hanks Dies at 97

James A. Lovell—the astronaut who commanded NASA’s 1970 Apollo 13 mission and was portrayed by Tom Hanks in the 1995 film of the same name—has died. He was 97. “We are enormously proud of [Lovell’s] amazing life and career accomplishments, highlighted by his legendary leadership in pioneering human space flight,” his family said. “But, to all of us, he was Dad, Granddad, and the Leader of our family. Most importantly, he was our Hero.” NASA’s Apollo 13 flight to the moon became known as a “successful failure” after the spacecraft suffered an oxygen tank explosion while thousands of miles from Earth. Lovell was praised as the guiding force behind the flight’s safe return which millions around the world watched. Moments after the explosion, Lovell reported to NASA’s Mission Control Center in