Adler Planetarium will honor astronaut James Lovell

CHICAGO (WLS) –

At age 90, sporting a lunar crater tie, legendary astronaut James Lovell continues to talk to us about space.

"You were like a warhead," he described on his first trip to space aboard the Gemini 7, when he shot 8 g.

Lovell spoke about his NASA career on Wednesday at the Adler Planetarium, which will award him an award of excellence on Saturday's Heavenly Ball; the annual Black Tie Gala raises funds for the Adler programs.

The former Navy pilot certainly deserves. He ventured to the ultimate border four times, including aboard the Apollo 8, the first lunar orbit inhabited 50 years ago in December.

"That's what we all wanted to do … go to the moon," he said about the first harvests of astronauts.

"For me, it was a real adventure," he added, comparing a moon march to "a mini Lewis and Clark expedition".

He nearly stepped on the lunar surface as commander of Apollo 13. But an onboard explosion stopped, resulting in the infamous words described in the 1995 Apollo 13 film: "Houston, we have a problem".

It turns out that Lovell actually said "Houston, we had a problem," as we saw on the wall of Adler's Mission Moon gallery.

Thanks to the generosity of Captain Lovell, memorable memories and other intimate memories fill the show.

Take the film scene when the Apollo 13 crew has to build an oxygen purifier for example. Lovell and other astronauts, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise, had to "pull the cover off the manual and turn it into a tent to make this oxygen scavenger," said Sarah Cole, vice president of Guest Experience. Adler, before boasting disappeared. "

She also talked about gloves and a helmet intended for a walk in the space. But unlike others who may be ragged and dirty, "these are a pristine white because Apollo 13 has never landed on the moon".

Lovell even showed the Gemini 12 capsule he had already shipped.

"Can you imagine two weeks in the spaceship with Frank Borman," he joked.

All these years later, Lovell still has detailed memories of his time floating in space jokes.

"6 landings and one incident," he joked.

"We did not land on the moon, but we highlighted the technology, leadership, and teamwork of people working on something that was suddenly launched," he said. he declares.

With a combination of flying, maps, photographs, commemorative coins and a spaceship to explore, it can be difficult to choose a favorite. But not for Lovell, who quickly shares his biggest pride in a photograph of "Mount Marilyn". It is a triangular element "at the edge of the sea of ​​tranquility" that he named for his wife Marilyn during the Apollo 8 mission, while he was looking for good landing markers to use by Apollo 11 for his historic moon landing. According to fate, "Mount Marilyn" has kept its name until today.

For Lovell, the Adler is an ideal home for his memories because he fell in love with the stars during his travels. He had family in the suburbs of Chicago and went alone to downtown to explore the planetarium.

"By myself, I came here to see the museums … it was the Adler I really loved," he said about his research for an astronomical merit badge .

Always the imaginative boy in the heart, Lovell thinks it's better to explore the moon today. He is eager to see where the space exploration is going.

"This architecture, this infrastructure that we make to be comfortable to go on the moon could then be extended to a Martian trip," he said.

The impact of Captain Lovell at the Adler Planetarium is evident as soon as you walk through the door of Adler, with a larger-than-life statue of the American hero representing him floating in space. But beyond the artifacts that he brought back to earth, Lovell leaves a legacy that continues to inspire.

Cole explained that the exhibitions intentionally explored Lovell's personal history as much as America's collective journey to the moon, because "when he started wanting to become an astronaut, it did not exist . It was not a job.

But his perseverance teaches an important lesson.

"Even if there is no way, I will find out and yes, I can think about it."

For Jim Lovell and future generations, the answer comes from heaven.