From LONG ISLAND – by Ann Parry (ann-parry.com)
Sept. 26, 2025
“You’re all, by the way, all astronauts. You’re on a spaceship called Earth. And we have limited resources. So we have to learn how to live and to work with those resources and other people.” – Jim Lovell at Kennedy Space Center, July 27, 2004
On August 7, 2025, when I heard NASA astronaut Jim Lovell, the Commander of Apollo 13, died that day, it immediately brought back me back to when l had the incredible luck to attend his lecture at Kennedy Space Center twenty-one years earlier.
• VIDEO 1: Jim Lovell 2004: In the beginning; “Lost Moon”:
Being at the right place – the space center – and time – the afternoon of July 27, 2004 – to catch Jim Lovell’s lecture is one of the most serendipitous points of my life.
My then-husband Len and I were on a cruise and had the choice to go either to Disney World or the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex that day. Of course, this space nerd picked KSC.
Garden City, New York, U.S. Sept. 25, 2025. An armrest from LM-7 “Aquarious” removed upon reaching Earth prior to re-entry is on display at The Cradle of Aviation Museum. It is the only remaining piece of the Apollo 13 Lunar Module. Plaque inscription: “A PART OF AQUARIUS, LM-7 RETURNED TO GAEC PERSONNEL IN APPRECIATION FOR A JOB WELL DONE. FROM THE APOLLO 13 CREW JAMES A. LOVELL, JOHN L. SWIGERT, FRED W. HAISE” (© 2025 Ann Parry/AnnParry.com)
Soon after we arrived at the center, we spotted a big sign announcing, in words to this effect:
Captain James A. Lowell , Jr., Commander of Apollo 13, is speaking here this afternoon, to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the release of Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, which he co-authored with Jeffrey Kluger
Following the lecture, Lowell will sign hardcover copies – bought at the KSC Gift Shop – of that book, which the 1995 movie Apollo 13 was based on.
WHAT?!
• VIDEO 2: Jim Lovell 2004: Rocket Safety, Wernher von Braun:
We got on line early enough to get seats – thank goodness! As I remember it, the lecture hall was not all that big. But I could be wrong about the size and remember feeling a strong speaker-audience connection simply because Lowell was so personable, so warm, so engaging.
• VIDEO 3: Jim Lovell 2004: Vomit Comet Toilet Tests:
At the Cradle of Aviation Museum:
Garden City, New York, U.S. Sept. 25, 2025. Apollo Urine Containers and Collection Devices, circa 1969, are on display at The Cradle of Aviation Museum (© 2025 Ann Parry/AnnParry.com)
- FEATURE IMAGE (at top of post): Photo-illustration created using photo of a “Captain James A. Lovell, Jr. March 25, 1928 – August 7, 2025” sign next to looseleaf binder visitors can write a message on, at Cradle of Aviation Museum. Garden City, New York, U.S. Sept. 25, 2025. (© 2025 Ann Parry/AnnParry.com)
Cradle of Aviation Museum/Jim Lovell: my PHOTO GALLERY
Video Showcase – Jim Lovell at Kennedy Space Center 2004: vimeo.com/showcase/11826271
Cradle of Aviation Museum: cradleofaviation.org
James A. Lovell: nasa.gov/former-astronaut-james-a-lovell
Kennedy Space Center: kennedyspacecenter.com
Garden City, New York, U.S. Sept. 25, 2025. A large sign with “Apollo 13: Houston, we have a problem” related photos, forms and info is on display at The Cradle of Aviation Museum. (© 2025 Ann Parry/AnnParry.com)