Exploring the Space Race The Incredible Journeys of Frank Borman and Jim Lovell.
4Frank Borman and Jim Lovell were both astronauts for NASA during the Gemini and Apollo programs.
Frank Borman was a member of the Gemini 7 mission in 1965, along with Jim Lovell.
Borman and Lovell orbited the Earth for two weeks, conducting experiments and testing spacecraft systems in preparation for future Apollo missions.
Jim Lovell also went on to fly on the Apollo missions.
Lovell later commanded the Apollo 13 mission in 1970, which famously experienced an explosion in one of its oxygen tanks, forcing the crew to abort their mission and focus on safely returning to Earth.
After the Gemini 7 mission, Lovell also flew on the Gemini 12 mission in 1966, where he performed a spacewalk.
In addition to his role on Apollo 8 and Apollo 13, Lovell was also the backup commander for the Apollo 11 mission, which famously landed humans on the Moon for the first time in 1969.
Lovell retired from NASA and the Navy in 1973 and later wrote several books about his experiences in space.
Jim Lovell also had an impressive military career before joining NASA. He served as a test pilot for the Navy and flew over 100 different types of aircraft.
Lovell has also been an advocate for space exploration and has been involved in various organizations promoting space travel and scientific discovery.
During this mission, Borman and his crewmates, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders, famously read from the book of Genesis during a live broadcast on Christmas Eve, 1968.
Jim Lovell was originally scheduled to be the commander of the Apollo 14 mission, but he was bumped up to the Apollo 13 mission when the original commander, Alan Shepard, was diagnosed with an inner ear disorder.
Lovell was in space during the infamous explosion that crippled the spacecraft and forced the crew to improvise a plan to return safely to Earth.
Jim Lovell was portrayed by actor Tom Hanks in the 1995 movie "Apollo 13," which chronicled the events of the ill-fated mission.
Lovell himself had a cameo in the movie as the captain of the USS Iwo Jima, the ship that helped recover the Apollo 13 crew after their splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Jim Lovell holds the record for the most time spent in space by an American astronaut at the time of his retirement.
Borman has served as a trustee of the National Geographic Society and the California Institute of Technology, while Lovell has been involved with various organizations promoting science education and has served on the board of directors of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.
Borman and Lovell have remained close friends since their days as astronauts, and they have continued to work together on various projects and initiatives related to space exploration.
Jim Lovell was originally a backup astronaut for the Gemini 4 mission, but he was later selected to fly on the Gemini 7 mission with Frank Borman.
Lovell and Borman spent a record-breaking 14 days in space, which was the longest manned spaceflight at the time.
Frank Borman and Jim Lovell both grew up during the Great Depression and World War II. Borman was born in 1928 in Gary, Indiana, and Lovell was born in 1928 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Borman has said that he was motivated by a desire to show that the United States could compete with the Soviet Union in the space race, while Lovell was drawn to the challenge and excitement of space exploration.
In addition to their accomplishments as astronauts, both Borman and Lovell have authored books about their experiences in space.
The latter book served as the basis for the movie "Apollo 13." Jim Lovell is also known for his famous quote during the Apollo 13 mission: "Houston, we have a problem." The quote has become synonymous with the mission and is often used in popular culture to refer to any unexpected or problematic situation.
Jim Lovell was also the backup commander for the Apollo 11 mission, which landed the first humans on the Moon.
Lovell was originally scheduled to command the Apollo 14 mission, but he was bumped up to Apollo 13 after Alan Shepard was diagnosed with an ear problem.
Jim Lovell was also part of the first crew to fly in the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle, a prototype vehicle designed to simulate the conditions of landing on the Moon.
Lovell had a close call during a training session when the LLRV malfunctioned and he had to eject from the vehicle, but he escaped without serious injury.
Borman also received the Harmon International Trophy in 1965 for his role in the Gemini 7 mission, while Lovell received the Tony Jannus Award for his contributions to commercial aviation in 2003.
Jim Lovell has been involved with various organizations promoting space exploration and education, including the Planetary Society and the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.