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To Infinity and Beyond: A Biography of James Lovell

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To Infinity and Beyond: A Biography of James Lovell
To Infinity and Beyond We all have vivid memories of those late summer evenings when the moon is so large we just want to reach out and touch it. James “Jim” Lovell also had this experience, but with one big difference: he got close enough to actually do it. In all of history, in all the millions and millions of people who have walked the Earth, only 12 were lucky enough and skilled enough to have had this experience. They didn’t just see it through some big, fancy telescope, but they saw it through the window of a NASA spaceship orbiting only feet away. Lovell happens to be one of those people. Not only did he visit the moon once, but he visited twice. Jim Lovell, rightfully so, was recognized by Time Magazine as one of their “Men of the Year” in 1969 along with fellow astronauts, Frank Borman and William Anders. Time was right in doing this because Lovell needs to be remembered for a number of reasons. For example, all the work he did aiding the creation of NASA’s space program , the pride he gave America during the Cold War, his success in multiple, skilled fields of work. But most importantly, the intact image of space exploration is almost entirely thanks to him [Gale Biography 5]. Yet even in addition to all of those things, Jim Lovell provided us with a perspective that very few have. We have all yearned to go to the moon. Lovell did that. The perspective he gave us was how important our very own planet was. “The vast loneliness up here at the moon is awe inspiring, and it makes you realize what you have back there on Earth. The Earth from here is a grand oasis in the big vastness of space” [American Experience: Race to The Moon 7], remarked Lovell on his second and final mission to the moon. Jim Lovell had a very normal, one could call it, childhood. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio on March 25, 1928 to parents Blanche and James Lovell. Although, his parents moved him to Milwaukee, Wisconsin when he was still a young child. There he spent his time


Cited: Apollo 13. Dir. Ron Howard. Perf. Tom Hanks. Imagine Studios, 1995. DVD. Anissimov, Michael. “What Was the Space Race?” WiseGEEK. N.p., 2003. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. Ellis-Christensen, Tricia, and O. Wallace. “Who is Jim Lovell?” WiseGEEK. Conjecture, 12 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. I-Chin Tu, Janet. “Search”. Advanced. Seattle Times, 8 Nov. 1996. Web. 22 Apr. 2013 "Interview with Joe Schaul." Interview by Joe Schaul “James Lovell.” Gale Biography in Context. Detroit: Gale, 1999. Biography in Context. Web 12 Mar. 2013. Kauderer, Amiko. “NASA- National Aeronautics and Space Administration.” NASA. N.p., 17 May. 2008. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. Lovell, Jim A. Kluger, Jeffrey. Apollo 13. Mariner Books., February 20, 2006. NASA. "Astronaut Bio: James A. Lovell." Astronaut Bio: James A. Lovell. N.p., Dec. 1994. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. NASA. “NASA- National Aeronautics and Space Administration.” NASA. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. PBS. “American Experience: Race to the Moon.” PBS. PBS, 22 Sept. 2005. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. Ryba, Jeanne. “NASA- National Aeronautics and Space Administration.” NASA. N.p., 4 Dec. 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. Spaceflight now Inc. “Spaceflight 9 Now|Apollo 13 Mission Report| James Arthur Lovell, Jr. Captain, USN.” Spaceflight Now Inc., 2012. Web. 22 March. 2013. “The Brave Men of Apollo.” Time 95.17 (1970): 20. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 March. 2013
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