Astronaut James Lovell next in Distinguished Speaker Series

University Park, Pa. -- The 2005-2006 Distinguished Speaker Series will continue on Wednesday, Jan. 25, as Apollo 13 astronaut James Lovell comes to the stage of the Eisenhower Auditorium at 8 p.m. The event is free to the public, but tickets are required.

Lovell was chosen in September 1962 for the space program following extensive experience as a naval aviator and test pilot. Following execution of commands in the Gemini Mission Program, he became command module pilot and navigator for the epic six-day journey on Apollo 8, man's maiden voyage to the moon, during which he and his fellow crew were the first humans to leave the earth's gravitational influence. He then was backup commander to Neil Armstrong for the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission.

His fourth and final flight was as spacecraft commander on the perilous Apollo 13 mission in 1970. He and his crew successfully modified their lunar module into an effective lifeboat when their cryogenic oxygen system failed. Their emergency activation and operation of the lunar module systems conserved both electrical power and water in sufficient supply to ensure their survival in space and their safe return to Earth. The experience was chronicled in a best-selling book by Lovell and Jeff Kluger, "Lost Moon," which was adapted into the movie "Apollo 13." In 1973, Lovell left the space program to join the Bay-Houston Towing Co. and now is president of Lovell Communications, a business devoted to disseminating information about the U.S. Space Program.

Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis and may be obtained from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from the Eisenhower Auditorium box office. Tickets also are distributed from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday at the HUB-Robeson Center outlet and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday at the Downtown Theatre Center. Individuals are limited to two free tickets each.

The Distinguished Speaker Series will welcome human-rights activist Yolanda King to the stage of Eisenhower on Monday, Feb. 20. Tickets will be available Feb. 13-15.

The Distinguished Speaker Series is sponsored by the University Park Allocation Committee and coordinated by the Distinguished Speaker Series Committee and the Office of Student Activities. Funded by student activity fees, the series is free to the public.

For more information, contact the Office of Student Activities at (814) 863-3786 or stop by 207 HUB-Robeson Center.