The Adler Planetarium Mourns the Loss of Captain James A. Lovell Jr.
Header Image: Captain James A. Lovell, Jr. Official Portrait Taken at the Adler Planetarium in 2018.
The Adler Planetarium mourns the loss of American hero, former NASA Astronaut, and Adler Life-Trustee Captain James A. Lovell Jr. who died yesterday, August 7, 2025, at the age of 97.
Captain Lovell, a part of the Adler family for many years, was instrumental in making the Adler a community engagement center for space science. In 2007, Lovell became an Adler Trustee and co-chaired the most successful fundraising campaign in Adler’s history. The campaign raised funds for new exhibitions, theater experiences, education, and research. Captain Lovell worked tirelessly as an advocate for public science education and was a very dear friend of the Adler. He will be greatly missed.
The following is a statement from Interim Adler Planetarium President & CEO Audris Wong:
“On behalf of the Adler Planetarium, I express our heartfelt condolences to the entire Lovell family. A true American hero, James A. Lovell Jr.’s life story demonstrates perseverance, commitment, and hard work. For multiple decades, the Adler has been honored to work closely with Jim. In addition to being a Trustee, he generously contributed his space artifacts and passionately advocated for improving science engagement. Jim’s personal stories of space exploration have inspired millions of visitors. Captain Lovell was a naval hero, space pioneer, and successful business leader, but it is his role as a champion for science education and his commitment to motivating the next generation of explorers that will be his enduring legacy at the Adler Planetarium.”
A Lifelong Connection
In the early 1940s, when Captain Lovell was a young boy, he found himself wandering the halls of the Adler Planetarium looking for parts for his new hobby of rocketry. Instead, what he found was a deep inspiration for the concepts of astronomy and space exploration. This passion led him to an extraordinary career with NASA as one of the first astronauts of the early crewed-space flights of Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8, and the fateful Apollo 13.
In 2005, he generously donated many of his personal effects from his storied career to the Adler’s collection, enabling guests a unique glimpse into the lives of those that took America’s first steps into space, which Jim was quick to point out, included the talented colleagues and supportive family members who were instrumental to every success. You can find these personal effects in our Mission Moon exhibit, telling the story of the space race through Lovell’s eyes.
In honor of Captain Lovell’s 90th birthday in 2018, the Adler honored him through a Letters to Lovell campaign. People young and old throughout the world wrote to express how Captain Lovell inspired them. The heartwarming letters were featured in the Mission Moon gallery and presented to him when he was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the annual Celestial Ball gala.
In celebration of Captain Lovell’s life, the Adler is relaunching Letters to Lovell. We invite guests to share how he has inspired them by visiting our Mission Moon gallery and writing him a letter, or submitting one to [email protected]. All letters will be shared with Jim’s family to cherish forever.
An Eye To The Future: The James A. Lovell Legacy Fund
In October of 2024, the Adler launched the James A. Lovell Legacy Fund. The new endowment, spearheaded by Captain Lovell and his family, will help the Adler support infrastructure needs, and continue to inspire the next generation of explorers into the future. More than $3.4 million has been committed to seed the fund.
At the Adler, we want each person who walks through the doors of our iconic art-deco building to find what Captain Lovell found here: a universe, a community, and an irresistible call to explore whatever captures their imagination. Everyone should know the Adler as a safe place to try and fail and try again, an approach Jim Lovell successfully demonstrated throughout his life. We’ll all face unexpected challenges and even failures; it’s what we make of these moments—how we readjust, learn, and grow that matters. The Lovell Legacy Fund will help the Adler continue to provide these unexpected, inspirational moments.
Learn more about the Lovell Legacy Fund, or make a donation.
More About Captain James A. Lovell, Jr.
Captain Lovell is best known for his courageous role as commander of the Apollo 13 mission, which suffered a critical failure en route to the Moon, but was brought back safely to Earth by efforts of the crew and mission control. He also piloted Apollo 8, the first Apollo mission to enter lunar orbit. He is one of only 24 people to have flown to the Moon, and the only one to have flown there twice without making a landing.
In perhaps his proudest role, he was married to his high school sweetheart, Marilyn Lillie Lovell, for 71 years before she preceded him in death. Together, they had four children, eleven grandchildren, and seven great grand-children. Captain Lovell attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduated from the United States Naval Academy, the University of Southern California Aviation Safety School, and Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. He is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
On November 20, 2019, Adler Planetarium staff interviewed Captain Lovell about his memories and thoughts looking back at his exciting career. Hear his stories.
