Jim Lovell – calm in the face of disaster

Jim Lovell, the astronaut, who was commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission – “Houston we have a problem” – which turned into one of the most dramatic in the history of space flight has died aged 97

 Launched on 11 April 1970 from the Kennedy Space Centre at 2.13pm EST in April 1970, it was intended to land America’s third spacecraft on the Moon but an on-board explosion two days later 200,000 miles from Earth (four fifths of the way to the Moon) led to a challenging rescue involving tens of thousands of aerospace technicians.  They converted the lunar lander spacecraft and its rocket engines for use as a “lifeboat” to propel Apollo 13 around the Moon and back to Earth. In 1995 it became was the subject of a successful film – starring Tom Hanks as Lovell

 All three astronauts declared that they were willing to make another moon flight, but were never given the opportunity.

  Born 25 March 1928 2.10 am Cleveland, Ohio, he constructed and launched model rockets, took a science degree and wrote a paper on liquid-fuelled rockets., later serving as a Navy test pilot, before becoming an astronaut with Nasa. He was described as a popular, easygoing personality who never suffered from the post-flight malaise that afflicted some of his fellow astronauts. He flew on four space flights: Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8 and Apollo 13.

He had a quick-witted and unorthodox, trail blazing Aries Sun conjunct Uranus in his 3^rd; with Jupiter in Aries close by in an ultra-confident square to Pluto and a well-balanced trine to Saturn in knowledgeable Sagittarius in his 12^th.

 But what is eye-catching in his chart is his 8^th house Neptune exactly conjunct Alphard and two degrees away from Regulus – and it squares his 5^th house Moon and opposes Mars in Aquarius.  Throughout 1970 and the Apollo 13 launch his Solar Arc Pluto was conjunct his Neptune – which can be both devastatingly confused as well as supremely ambitious. Tr Jupiter was moving across his 10^th house for career success (and luck) and his Solar Arc Jupiter was just over the conjunction to his Moon with tr Mars conjunct both and square his Neptune = good fortune and disaster. Plus a nerve-stretched tr Uranus conjunct his Solar Arc Neptune.

  He went on in later years to work in business.

  His laid back, unflappable approach could be in part attributed to his “spaced-out” 8^th house Neptune as well as his Jupiter Pluto confidence  and Aries stellium faith that his guardian angel would always be there for him.