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Several items in the movie, including Jim Lovell's jumpsuit and a coffee mug at Mission Control, bear the mission patch for Apollo 8, the mission that took Lovell to the moon for ten orbits a year and a half earlier.
In a commentary track, Marilyn Lovell comments that Tom Hanks exactly portrays Jim Lovell's mannerisms and style of movement.
Bill Paxton, Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon were all very proud of the fact that they weren't sick on the so-called Vomit Comet - the plane used to simulate zero gravity. The cameramen weren't so lucky.
In some scenes where the Earth can be seen from the windows of Apollo 13, it is one of the photos taken by Jim Lovell and Bill Anders on the Apollo 8 mission.
Jim Lovell wore his old Navy Captain's uniform in the scene where he greets the astronauts aboard the U.S.S. Iwo Jima. When Ron Howard asked Lovell if he'd like to be in the film as the ship's Admiral, Lovell agreed, but pointed out, "I retired as a Captain; a Captain I will be."