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

Nicknamed "Smilin’ Jim” by his fellow astronauts, Jim Lovell was known for his wit and quick grin, said acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy.

The Apollo 8 commander’s reading of the Scriptures reached a worldwide audience at the dawn of humanity’s journey to the moon.