Captain James Lovell, USN Apollo 13 Autograph

The autograph of Captain James A. Lovell, Jr. U.S. Navy retired, former test pilot and astronaut, was obtained by James Dietz at "The San Diego Aerospace Museum" on March 16, 1996 for the presentation of "The International Aerospace Hall Of Fame -- Investiture '96". 

Lovell's signature is on the front cover of this excellent publication.  James Lovell was the special guest speaker at this conference. 

James A. Lovell, Jr. was born March 25, 1928, in Cleveland, Ohio.  He was graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1952 and subsequently became a Naval Aviator.  While assigned as a test pilot at the Naval Air Test Ceenter at Patuxent river, Maryland, he was selected for astronaut training in 1962. 

Love'sl first space flight was in December of 1965 with Frank Borman in Gemini 7.  Later, he brought the Gemini program to a successful close as commander of Genimi 12 with Edwin Aldrin in November of 1966. 

In December of 1968, Lovel, Borman and William Anders became the first men to leave Earth's gravity and orbit the moon.  Among many other accomplishments, the Apollo 8 mission confirmed the technology which permitted future crews to land on the moon.

In April of 1970, with John Swigert and Fred Haise, Jr., Lovel was returning to the moon as commander of Apollo 13 when a life- threatening malfunction severly crippled the spacecraft.  The story of the three astronauts' perilous voyage and safe return was well documented in Lovell's book, Lost Moon, and subsequently made into the cirtically-acclaimed motion picutre "Apollo 13."

Also, included is the program where Lovell was the guest speaker and where this autograph was obtained.