I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2655 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Captain James Arthur Lovell, 
Jr., (USN–Ret), in recognition of his service to our Nation and most 
notably, his leadership, bravery, and general significance to the advance-
ment of United States space exploration. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 17, 2023 
Mr. SCHNEIDER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Captain James 
Arthur Lovell, Jr., (USN–Ret), in recognition of his serv-
ice to our Nation and most notably, his leadership, brav-
ery, and general significance to the advancement of 
United States space exploration. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Captain James A. 
Lovell, Jr., Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) In 1952, James A. Lovell, Jr., graduated 
from the Naval Academy and served with distinction 
in the U.S. Navy as a fighter pilot, later making im-
portant contributions as a test pilot. 
(2) As a crew member for the Gemini 7 mission 
and Commander for the Gemini 12 mission, Lovell 
played a critical role in these missions which were 
critical steps towards making the later Apollo lunar 
missions possible. 
(3) On December 21, 1968, Apollo 8 launched 
from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A, 
destined for lunar orbit. Lovell, William Anders, and 
Frank Borman became the first humans to reach 
the Moon’s orbit; Apollo 8 successfully completed ten 
orbits around the Moon and safely returned to 
Earth on December 27, 1968. 
(4) On April 11, 1970, Apollo 13, commanded 
by Lovell, with Jack Swigert as command module 
pilot and Fred Haise as lunar module pilot, 
launched from Kennedy Space Center Launch Com-
plex 39A with the intention to be the third mission 
in history to land humans on the Moon. 
(5) Two days into the mission, an explosion oc-
curred, depleting the command module’s air tanks, 
and leaving the ship with disruptions in water, elec-
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tricity, fuel, and light supplies, with support and 
guidance from ground personnel, Lovell, Haise, and 
Swigert had to modify the ship’s life support sys-
tems and change Apollo 13’s course to circle around 
the Moon before heading back to Earth. 
(6) Lovell handwrote the orientation calcula-
tions transferring them from the command module 
to the lunar module guidance system allowing the 
ship to stay on the correct trajectory. 
(7) The three astronauts aboard Apollo 13 sur-
vived on rations of water in freezing temperatures 
for four days in the lunar module while the ship 
traveled back towards Earth. 
(8) On April 17, 1970, in large thanks to 
Lovell’s leadership and NASA’s ingenuity, Apollo 13 
reentered Earth’s atmosphere and safely splashed 
down in the Pacific Ocean after a treacherous and 
uncertain journey back to Earth. 
(9) The bravery, skill, and courage of the Apol-
lo 13 astronauts, under the extraordinary leadership 
of Captain Lovell united the American people and 
reinvigorated interest in the Nation’s space program. 
(10) President Nixon awarded Lovell, Haise, 
and Swigert with the Presidential Medal of Freedom 
for their heroic work. 
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