The college announced today that astronaut Jim Lovell will deliver the main address at Ithaca College’s Commencement ceremony May 17, 2009.

Lovell served as the commander of the Apollo 13 spacecraft that suffered an explosion as it headed toward the Moon in 1970. He may be best known for his call to Mission Control after the explosion when he coined the phrase, “Houston, we have a problem.”

Lovell and the Apollo 13 crew were able to modify the systems in their shuttle to steer it in a trajectory around the Moon and back to Earth. The book Lovell later wrote became the basis for the 1995 movie, “Apollo 13,” which starred Tom Hanks.

He has been honored with awards ranging from the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Senior class president AJ Mizes said he and the senior class cabinet compiled a list of about 100 possible speakers and submitted it to President Tom Rochon and the Office of Student Affairs and Campus Life for approval.

Mizes said he was thrilled with the choice and the cabinet’s input.

“We are extremely ecstatic to have this historic figure come to Ithaca,” he said. “He represents a lot of really big accomplishments in American history.”

Brian McAree, vice president of student affairs and campus life at the college, said his office worked directly with the senior class cabinet, as well as a speaker agency, to secure Lovell as the speaker.

McAree said Lovell was a good choice because of his prominence in NASA and the space program.

“Certainly Captain Lovell, being a very famous astronaut and leader, as well as the popularity of his books and the popularity of ‘Apollo 13’ has made him an easily recognizable figure both to our graduates and to our guests,” he said.

Rochon said Lovell’s contributions will serve as an inspring send-off to graduates of the college.

“Lovell and his crew on Apollo 13 exemplify ingenuity, adaptability and continuous learning under unexpected circumstances,” he said. “Their performance under extreme pressure offers lessons that we can all hope to learn from.”