Captain James A. Lovell was selected as an astronaut by NASA in September 1962. He has since served as backup pilot for the Gemini 4 flight and backup Commander to Neil Armstrong for the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. On December 4,1965, he and Frank Borman were launched into space on the history-making Gemini 7 mission. The flight lasted 330 hours and 35 minutes and included the first rendezvous of two MMS (Manned Maneuverable Spacecraft)