Jim Lovell, the astronaut played by Tom Hanks in Apollo 13, died Thursday at the age of 97. Lovell led the crew on the Apollo 13 mission, which became famous as the most “successful failure” in aerospace history. “We are enormously proud of his amazing life and career accomplishments, highlighted by his legendary leadership in pioneering human space flight,” his family said in a statement . “But, to all of us, he was Dad, Granddad, and the Leader of our family. Most importantly, he was our Hero. We will miss his unshakeable optimism, his sense of humor, and the way he made each of us feel we could do the impossible. He was truly one of a kind.”

Lovell helped Hanks and his co-stars Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton train at Space Camp in Hunstville, AL. Lovell also had a small cameo in the m

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