Late Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell recorded wake-up message for Artemis II astronauts before his death

The Artemis II astronauts received a special wake-up message from legendary astronaut Jim Lovell, the late commander of the Apollo 13 mission, which he recorded before he died last year at the age of 97.

In the message he says, “Hello Artemis II! I’m Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell.” “Welcome to my old neighborhood. When Frank Borman and Bill Andrews and I orbited the Moon on Apollo 8, we got humanity’s first close-up look at the Moon and a view of the home planet that inspired and united people around the world. I’m proud to pass that torch to you as you walk around the Moon and lay the groundwork for a mission to Mars for the benefit of all. This is a historic day, and I know how much you Will be busy, but don’t forget to enjoy it. So, Reed and Victor and Christina and Jeremy, and all the great teams supporting you, good luck and Godspeed from all of us on this earth.”

Just before 1pm CT, Artemis II crew breaks record The farthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth, surpassing the 248,655-mile distance traveled by Lovell and his Apollo 13 crew in 1970.

NASA said Lovell recorded a wakeup message for the Artemis II crew just two months before his death last year.

Lowell, one of NASA’s most-traveled astronauts in its first decade, called north suburban Lake Forest, Illinois, home for years before his death, and he had a deep connection with Chicago’s Adler Planetarium. He visited the Moon twice, on Apollo 8 and Apollo 13, but never walked on its surface.

When he returned to Earth, he worked for a while in Houston, then Chicago, and then settled in Lake Forest after retiring. He opened his restaurant Lovell’s in Lake Forest in 1999.

The Artemis crew is now in lunar flight, during which they are expected to see both the near and far sides of the Moon and engage in intensive lunar observations.

Artemis II is using the same maneuver that Apollo 13 did after its “Houston, we have a problem” oxygen tank explosion wiped out any hopes of landing on the Moon.

Known as the free-return lunar trajectory, this non-stop route to the ground takes advantage of the Earth and Moon’s gravity, reducing fuel requirements. It’s a celestial figure-eight that will guide astronauts on their way home after it passes behind the moon on Monday evening.

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