; Apollo 8 successfully completed ten orbits around the Moon and safely returned to Earth on December 27, 1968. (4) On April 11, 1970, Apollo 13, commanded by Lovell, with Jack Swigert as command module pilot and Fred Haise as lunar module pilot, launched from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A with the intention to be the third mission in history to land humans on the Moon. (5) Two days into the mission, an explosion occurred, depleting the command module’s air tanks, and leaving the ship with disruptions in water, electricity, fuel, and light supplies, with support and guidance from ground personnel, Lovell, Haise, and Swigert had to modify the ship’s life support systems and change Apollo 13’s course to circle around the Moon before heading back to Earth. (6) Lovell handwrote the orientation calculations transferring them from the command module to the lunar module guidance system allowing the ship to stay on the correct trajectory. (7) The three astronauts aboard Apollo 13 survived on rations of water in freezing temperatures for four days in the lunar module while the ship traveled back towards Earth. (8) On April 17, 1970, in large thanks to Lovell’s leadership and NASA’s ingenuity, Apollo 13 reentered Earth’s atmosphere and safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a treacherous and uncertain journey back to Earth. (9) The bravery, skill, and courage of the Apollo 13 astronauts, under the extraordinary leadership of Captain Lovell united the American people and reinvigorated interest in the Nation’s space program. (10) President Nixon awarded Lovell, Haise, and Swigert with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for their heroic work. (11) Lovell went on to have a successful business career, becoming the CEO of Bay-Houston Towing Company, President of Fisk Telephone Systems, Executive Vice President of Centel Corporation in Chicago, and starting a restaurant with his family in Lake Forest, Illinois. (12) Throughout his life, Lovell was a strong and effective advocate for science, the study of space,