JAMES A. LOVELL (CAPTAIN, USN, RET.)

NASA ASTRONAUT NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER)

PERSONAL DATA: Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 25, 1928. Married to the 

former Marilyn Gerlach, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They have four children. 

EDUCATION: University of Wisconsin; United States Naval Academy, bachelor 

of science, 1952; Test Pilot School, NATC, Patuxent River, Maryland, 1958; 

Aviation Safety School, University of Southern California, 1961; Advanced 

Management Program, Harvard Business School, 1971; honorary doctorates from 

Rockhurst college, Illinois Wesleyan University, Western Michigan University, 

Mary Hardin-Baylor College and Milwaukee School of Engineering.

SPECIAL HONORS: Eagle Scout; Sam Houston Area Council 1976 

Distinguished Eagle Scout Award; Presidential Medal for Freedom, 1970; NASA 

Distinguished Service Medal; two Navy Distinguished Flying Crosses; 1967 FAI De 

Laval and Gold Space Medals (Athens, Greece); the American Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award; City of New 

York Gold Medal in 1969; City of Houston Medal for Valor in 1969; the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 

special Trustees Award, 1969; the Institute of Navigation Award, 1969; the University of Wisconsin's Distinguished Alumni 

Service Award, 1970; co-recipient of the American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Awards, 1966 and 1968; the 

Harmon International Trophy, 1966, 1967 and 1969; the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy, 1969; the H. H. Arnold 

Trophy, 1969; General Thomas D. White USAF Space Trophy, 1969; Robert J. Collier Trophy, 1968; Henry G. Bennett 

Distinguished Service Award; and the AIAA Haley Astronautics Award, 1970.

AFFILIATIONS: Trustee of the National Space Institute; Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots; member 

Explorers Club; Fellow - American Astronautical Society; Captain Lovell is on the Board of Directors of the Federal Signal 

Corporation; Astronautics Corporation of America; Astronaut Memorial Foundation; Captain Lovell is also on the Sports 

Medicine Advisory Board at Rush Presbyterian - St. Lukes Medical Center. He is a regent emeritus for the Milwaukee 

School of Engineering; on the board of trustees of Lake Forest College; a trustee of the National Space Institute, the 

Association of Space Explorers; and the Chairman of the National Eagle Scouts Association.

EXPERIENCE: During his Naval career he has had numerous aviator assignments, including a 4-year tour as a test pilot at 

the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland.

While there he served as Program Manager for the F4H "Phantom" Fighter. A graduate of the Aviation Safety School of the 

University of Southern California, he also served as Safety Engineer with the Fighter Squadron 101 at the Naval Air Station, 

Oceana, Virginia.

He has logged more than 7,000 hours flying time--more than 3,500 hours in jet aircraft. 

NASA EXPERIENCE: Captain Lovell was selected as an Astronaut by NASA in September 1962. He has since served as 

backup pilot for the Gemini 4 flight and backup Commander for the Gemini 9 flight, as well as backup Commander to Neil 

Armstrong for the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission.

On December 4, 1965, he and Frank Borman were launched into space on the history-making Gemini 7 mission. The flight 

lasted 330 hours and 35 minutes and included the first rendezvous of two manned maneuverable spacecraft.

The Gemini 12 mission, commanded by Lovell with Pilot Edwin Aldrin, began on November 11, 1966. This 4-day, 

59-revolution flight brought the Gemini program to a successful close. 

- more -

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Biographical Data

 Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

 Houston, Texas 77058
Lovell served as Command Module Pilot and Navigator on the epic six-day journey of Apollo 8 - man's maiden voyage to 

the moon - December 21-27, 1968. Apollo 8 was the first manned spacecraft to be lifted into near-earth orbit by a 7-1/2 

million pound thrust Saturn V launch vehicle; and Lovell and fellow crewmen, Frank Borman and William A. Anders, 

became the first humans to leave the Earth's gravitational influence.

He completed his fourth mission as Spacecraft Commander of the Apollo 13 flight, April 11-17, 1970, and became the first 

man to journey twice to the moon. Apollo 13 was programed for ten days. However, the original flight plan was modified en 

route to the moon due to a failure of the Service Module cryogenic oxygen system. Lovell and fellow crewmen, John L. 

Swigert and Fred W. Haise, working closely with Houston ground controllers, converted their lunar module "Aquarius" into 

an effective lifeboat. Their emergency activation and operation of lunar module systems conserved both electrical power 

and water in sufficient supply to assure their safety and survival while in space and for the return to earth.

Captain Lovell held the record for time in space with a total of 715 hours and 5 minutes until surpassed by the Skylab flights.

On March 1, 1973, Captain Lovell retired from the Navy and from the Space Program to join Bay-Houston Towing 

Company in Houston, Texas. Bay-Houston Towing company is a diversified company involved in harbor and coastwise 

towing, mining and marketing of peat products for the lawn and garden industry, and ranching. He was promoted to the

position of President and Chief Executive Officer on March 1, 1975.

BUSINESS BACKGROUND: On January 1, 1977, Captain Lovell became President of Fisk Telephone Systems, Inc. in 

Houston, Texas (marketing business communications equipment) in the southwestern United States. On January 1, 1981, he 

was appointed Group Vice President, Business Communications Systems, a Centel Corporation. He retired from Centel Corp 

as Executive Vice President and member of Board of Directors on January 1, 1991.

SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT: President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Captain Lovell as his consultant for Physical Fitness 

and Sports in June, 1967. When the Physical Fitness Council was revised under President Nixon in 1970, Captain Lovell 

was assigned the additional duty of Chairman of the Council. After eleven years of performing his dual role with the 

Council, he relinquished these positions in 1978. However, he is still a Consultant to the Council and is presently assisting 

the Council in achieving its objective of making all citizens aware of the importance of being physically fit. The office of the

President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports is located in Washington, D.C.

DIRECTORSHIPS: Federal Signal Corporation, Chicago Astronautics Corp. of America, Milwaukee.

DECEMBER 1994

This is the only version available from NASA. Updates must be sought direct from the above named individual.