Jim Lovell’s Final Message Echoes on Artemis II

On the sixth day of NASA’s Artemis II mission, the crew was awakened by a voice from a bygone era: “Hello, Artemis II! This is Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell.” The recording, made just two months before Lovell’s death on Aug. 7, 2025, was a farewell gift to the first crewed flight of the new Moon program.

Lovell, the commander of the ill‑fated Apollo 13 and one of only three astronauts to travel to the Moon twice, recorded the message in 2024 while living in Lake Forest, Illinois. In it, he welcomed the astronauts to “my old neighbourhood” and urged them to carry forward the spirit of exploration that defined the Apollo era.

The timing was poignant. Shortly after the wake‑up, Artemis II broke the record for the farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth, surpassing the 248,655 miles reached by Lovell’s Apollo 13 crew in 1970. NASA officials said Lovell’s words reminded the crew of the long line of pioneers that led to this moment.

Lovell’s passing at 97 marked the end of a living link to the Apollo program. He is buried beside his wife Marilyn at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery. His legacy now reverberates not only in history books but also in the very air that surrounds today’s astronauts.