Astronaut Jim Lovell, who guided the Apollo 13 mission safely back to Earth in 1970, has died aged 97. Nasa said he "turned a potential tragedy into a success" after an attempt to land on the Moon was aborted due to an explosion onboard the spacecraft while it was hundreds of thousands of miles from Earth.

Tom Hanks used his social media to pay a heartfelt tribute to the late astronaut Jim Lovell, whom he portrayed in the 1995 film "Apollo 13".

The Right Stuff gang has lost yet another member. Jim Lovell of Apollo 8 and 13 missions just died at age 97. This writer recalls past conversations with the great man.