13 Stories with Captain James Lovell

This sculpture at the Adler Planetarium shows a moment during Apollo 13 when Lovell looked back at home. Hear Lovell describe the feeling of being so far away from home that he could cover the entire Earth with his thumb.

Even space heroes sometimes encounter difficulties. The first time Lovell applied to the astronaut program, NASA sent this letter informing him he was not accepted. Hear Lovell describe his reaction to being turned down, and how he responded.

It’s the question everyone asks. For the Gemini flights in 1965-1966 astronauts used this type of fecal containment bag, which is exactly what it sounds like. Lovell spent two weeks in orbit with Frank Borman in the spacecraft. Hear Lovell describe the procedure for taking care of our most basic needs.

Flights crews sometimes changed, and early space explorers needed to be prepared to go. Hear Lovell describe how he got to fly on the Gemini 12 mission. That spacecraft is seen here at the Adler Planetarium.

Gemini 12 was the final flight of the Gemini program, paving the way for the moon landings. Hear Lovell describe what it was like to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere at the end of the mission.

The Apollo 8 mission in December 1968 was the first time humans approached another world. In orbit around the Moon, Lovell and his crewmates Frank Borman and Bill Anders spoke to the world on Christmas Eve. To mark the occasion they chose to read the first ten verses of the Bible. Shown here is the page in a flight plan that they read from during that broadcast. You can see pencil marks indicating when each astronaut passed the pages to another crew member. Hear Lovell describe how the idea came together and its lasting impact.

One of the most famous photographs ever taken, this image from Apollo 8 became an icon of the space age and changed how people thought about Earth. Hear Lovell explain how the team was in position to capture this amazing view of the Earth rising over the Moon.

During the flight of Apollo 13, a major explosion called off lunar landing plans and threatened the crew’s lives. One of their challenges was constructing a carbon dioxide filter using whatever was available. Lovell describes how the crew made a fix using parts including the cover torn off this flight manual. He also describes how the timing of the accident was fortunate.

This optical sight could be mounted in different windows on the Apollo spacecraft, and allowed an astronaut to point the spacecraft by looking through the clear window at the bottom. Lovell used this sight to aim the Apollo 13 spacecraft during a rocket thrust on the return trip, successfully guiding the spacecraft back home.

This plaque was intended to be placed on the leg of the lunar lander on the surface of the Moon. Instead, Lovell brought it back to Earth where it can now be seen at the Adler Planetarium.

This was Lovell’s helmet meant to be worn on the lunar surface during Apollo 13. Hear Lovell describe the designs on the helmet and why he brought it back to Earth.

The Apollo crews noticed many landmarks on the surface of the Moon. Hear Lovell describe how he saw a prominent Moon mountain and informally named it “Mount Marilyn” after his wife. In 2018 this feature was officially named Mount Marilyn.

Lovell describes how big successes require hard work and a positive attitude.