Famed NASA astronaut Jim Lovell, who died at the age of 97 on Thursday, played a role in the making of the hit movie Apollo 13 that chronicled the mission where Lovell served as commander. The 1970 mission was considered a "successful failure" after the spacecraft experienced an oxygen tank

Jim Lovell died over the weekend at age 97. Actor Tom Hanks, who played the astronaut in the movie “Apollo 13,” posted a touching statement on Instagram. “God speed you, on this next voyage,” he wrote.

Lovell famously delivered the news to mission control, saying “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” The exchange was later immortalized by Hanks in the “Apollo 13” movie, which costarred Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan and the late Bill Paxton.