Astronauts Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin: Look back at their friendship in tweets, photos

Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin were friends for a long time.

The legendary astronauts, globally known for their respective history-making Apollo missions, enjoyed a friendship that spanned decades.

NASA announcedJim Lovell died Thursday, Aug. 7, in Lake Forest, Illinois, at age 97.

He served as the command module pilot for the Apollo 8 mission to the moon and, along with his crew, became the first to lift off on a Saturn V rocket and orbit the moon. Aldrin and Lovell worked together for the Gemini 12 mission, which paved the way for the Apollo space program.

Lovell's "crew-mate" and pal Buzz Aldrin, the second person to ever walk on the moon, is 95. He lives in Satellite Beach, Florida, not far from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Over the years, Aldrin posted birthday messages and space memories about his late friend. One example? That time NASA astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell and Sally Ride posed for Annie Liebowitz for a Louis Vuitton ad (see below).

His most recent post about Lovell was part history lesson. On April 11, Aldrin shared a photo of the Apollo 13 mission patch, "ex luna, scientia" and said in the caption: "Apollo 13 showed the greatness that people are capable of when put to a test with the highest stakes. ... Apollo 13 will always remain a shining episode in America's history."

Below is information about NASA astronaut Jim Lovell and a look back at the longtime friendship of Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin through a series of tweets.

Who was Jim Lovell?

Apollo 13 brought the heroic story of Jim Lovell and the real Apollo 13 crew into the future.

Directed by Ron Howard and starringTom Hanks, the lateBill PaxtonandKevin Bacon, "Apollo 13" the movie bills itself as "the dramatic true story" of how NASA engineers in Houston, Texas, worked with the three astronauts to get them home safely.

“NASA sends its condolences to the family of Capt. Jim Lovell, whose life and work inspired millions of people across the decades. Jim’s character and steadfast courage helped our nation reach the Moon and turned a potential tragedy into a success from which we learned an enormous amount," acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffysaid in a statement. "We mourn his passing even as we celebrate his achievements."

Lovell was born in 1928 in Cleveland, Ohio and had flown in three space flights leading up to the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.

What happened with Apollo 13?

"Apollo13"is inspired by the nearly disastrous April 1970mission of the same namein which NASA's third planned mission to the moon had to be abandoned when an oxygen tank exploded on the service module.

For the three astronauts selected for the mission – Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise – the critical mishap two days into the mission transformed the spaceflight into a life-or-death situation. Relying on backup life-support systems on the Apollo Lunar Module meant to transport them to the moon's surface from orbit, the astronautsused primitive methods of celestial navigationto make their way back to Earth.

While in constant communication with flight controllers in Houston, Texas, the astronautssafely made a water landingApril 17, 1970, in the South Pacific Ocean – six days after launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

'Apollo 13' partially filmed in Florida, premiered on Space Coast

"Apollo 13" starred Tom Hanksas NASA astronaut Jim Lovell, Bill Paxtonas NASA astronaut Fred Haise and Kevin Baconas NASA astronaut Jack Swigert.

Ron Howard, who directed "Apollo 13,"reportedly went to great effortto ensure the on-screen depiction of the mission was as accurate and realistic as possible. Lovell and NASA experts consulted on the film, which was evenpartially filmed at the Kennedy Space Centeron Merritt Island, Florida.

Buzz Aldrin tweets about astronaut Jim Lovell

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her onTwitteror Instagram at@byjensangalang. Support local journalism.Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: NASA astronaut Jim Lovell dies. About his friendship with Buzz Aldrin