BIOGRAPHY

The man who uttered the immortal words, "Houston, we've had a problem," astronaut James Lovell was the Commander of Apollo 13. The 'problem' (at thirteen minutes past seven on the thirteenth of April), was an explosion that crippled the command module, denying it a breathable air supply and its electrical system. The planned lunar landing was abandoned and then the mission became simply one of survival. Lovell, guided by calculations from Mission Control, steered the Lunar Module back to earth, adjusting the course manually. His heroic actions during the harrowing seven days in space were depicted in the movie Apollo 13, starring Tom Hanks as Lovell.

Joining NASA as one of the first generations of astronauts, Jim served on the Gemini missions of the mid-sixties. He was command module pilot on Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the Moon. That successful orbit preceded the first manned landing on the surface, by Apollo 11. The fateful decision to swap crews meant that Lovell was assigned to Apollo 13. This made him one of only three men to travel to the moon twice, though he never walked on it.

After retiring from the US Navy and the space programme, Jim pursued a successful business career and became executive vice president of telecoms giant Centel. Now he captivates audiences with stories of his NASA days. He draws on his experience in space and industry to address teamwork and motivation, fitness, leadership, crisis management, innovation and adventure.

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