Jim Lovell ( born March 25 , 1928 ) is a former Astronaut . James `` Jim '' Arthur Lovell , Jr. , ( born March 25 , 1928 ) is a former NASA astronaut and a retired captain in the United States Navy , most famous as the commander of the Apollo 13 mission , which suffered a critical failure en route to the Moon but was brought back safely to Earth by the efforts of the crew and mission control .