(LAKE FOREST, Ill) — Jim Lovell, the commander of the famed Apollo 13 mission, has died, according to NASA. He was 97.

“We are saddened by the passing of Jim Lovell, commander of Apollo 13 and a four-time spaceflight veteran,” the space agency said. “Lovell’s life and work inspired millions. His courage under pressure helped forge our path to the Moon and beyond—a journey that continues today.”

Lovell died Thursday in Lake Forest, Illinois, according to a statement from acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy.

In 1968, as Apollo 8’s command module pilot, he became, with Frank Borman and William Anders, one of the first three astronauts to fly to and orbit the Moon.

A veteran of several missions, Lovell became the commander for Apollo 13, which nearly avoided disaster after an oxygen tank

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