Trailblazing Apollo 13 commander James Lovell, whose “calm” heroics helped prevent a failed moon mission from turning into an unthinkable tragedy, has died.

He was 97.

Lovell died in Lake Forest, Illinois, NASA said in a statement as the astronaut was remembered for a life that “inspired millions” over the last several decades.

Jim Lovell, who once held the record for longest time in space, has died age 97.

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The Apollo 13 crew traveling from the suiting station to the rocket site ahead of the mission.

Bettmann Archive
“Jim’s character and steadfast courage helped our nation reach the Moon and turned a potential tragedy into a success from which we learned an enormous amount,” said NASA Administrator Sean Duffy.

“We mourn his passing even as we celebrate his achievements.

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Lovell, who was played by Tom Hanks in the 1995 movie “Apollo 13,” was one of NASA’s busiest astronauts during the agency’s first decade as it faced off against the Soviet Union in a high-stakes space race.

Two of the four flights he was a part of became lasting symbols of American greatness and endurance.

Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell speaks to the press before the launch in 1970.

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The Apollo 8 crew, which included Lovell, Frank Borman and William Anders, became the first to leave the Earth’s orbit and reach and circle the moon, though they didn’t land on it.

Bill Clinton presents Lovell with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in the Oval Office, July 26, 1995.

Tom Hanks, left, also attended.

Hanks portrayed Lovell in the 1995 movie “Apollo 13.

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The extraordinary pale blue dot photo of Earth from the moon – the world’s first – and the crew’s reading from Genesis on Christmas Eve helped Americans get through a difficult 1968 — when the country was being rocked by the Vietnam War and social unrest.

Lovell was also on the crew of the Gemini 7 mission.

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But the finest moment of Lovell’s incredible career came during the heart-pounding Apollo 13 flight that could’ve ended in disaster.

Jim Lovell (left) was also on the Apollo 8 mission in December 1968.

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James Lovell was deeply affected by his near-death experience in space.

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Lovell was supposed to become just the fifth man to walk on the moon in 1970, but the crew’s service module that carried him dealt with an oxygen tank explosion some 200,000 miles from Earth.

What came next was a tale of harrowing survival as the Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert were forced to all cram into a tight lunar module that was only supposed to fit two people for a couple days.

Instead, the three astronauts were stranded there for four freezing days while surviving on a limited amount of water, oxygen and electricity.

Jim Lovell was recovered last from the module, pictured here waiting in the life raft in the Apollo 13 Recovery Area.

Heritage Images via Getty Images
Jim Lovell (left) commanded the miraculous mission to the moon.

They were able to eventually map out a way to slingshot their way back to Earth safely in a dramatic end to the aborted mission.

“As commander of the Apollo 13 mission, his calm strength under pressure helped return the crew safely to Earth and demonstrated the quick thinking and innovation that informed future NASA missions,” Duffy said on Friday.

Lovell said in a 1994 interview he wanted people to remember that the 1970 mission “in some sense it was very much a success.

James Lovell undergoes his space suit checks hours before Apollo 13’s launch.

NASA
”Not that we accomplished anything, but a success in that we demonstrated the capability of (NASA) personnel.

”Lovell, who was a grandfather of 11 and a great-grandfather of nine, moved onto other ventures after he retired from NASA and the Navy in 1973.

He led the Bay-Houston Towing Company and later worked in high-level executive positions at telecommunications companies, according to the New York Times.

This awe-inspiring photograph, Earthrise, was taken on the Apollo 8 mission which Lovell crewed.

He also owned Lovell Communications, a consulting firm that helped corporations in the Chicago-area, and his family later owned a Lake Forest restaurant that displayed various memorabilia from his NASA days before closing in 2015, the Times reported.

Lovell, a retired Navy captain, reached a new stratosphere of stardom when Hanks played him in the 1995 flick and uttered the famous phrase, “Houston, we have a problem.

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In reality, Swigert first alerted NASA to the problem with Lovell then repeating a similar plea, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.

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“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.

”

His wife predeceased him and he leaves behind four children.