American astronaut Jim Lovell, known for leading the dramatic Apollo 13 mission that successfully returned to Earth in 1970, has died at the age of 97.
NASA credited Lovell with turning a potential tragedy into a historic success after an on-board explosion forced the aborted moon landing while the crew was hundreds of thousands of miles from Earth. The moment of their landing in the Pacific Ocean, watched by tens of millions of viewers around the world, remains one of the most iconic scenes in the history of space exploration.
Lovell, who was also part of the Apollo 8 mission, became the first person to travel to the moon twice - without ever setting foot on its surface. Acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy said he helped the US space program "break a historic path".
His family remembered him with warm words: "We will miss his unwavering optimism, sense of humor and the way he made us feel like we could do the impossible. He was truly one of a kind."
