x
Breaking News
More () »

Apollo Moonwalker Alan Bean dies at 86 after illness

Bean, 86, died on Saturday at Houston Methodist Hospital after he suddenly fell ill while traveling to Fort Wayne, Indiana two weeks before.

HOUSTON - Alan Bean, the fourth human to walk on the moon, has died.

Bean, 86, died on Saturday at Houston Methodist Hospital after he suddenly fell ill while traveling to Fort Wayne, Indiana two weeks before.

Bean was born March 15, 1932 in Wheeler, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Texas in 1955. He attended the Navy Test Pilot school and accumulated more than 5,000 hours of flying time in 27 different types of aircraft.

"Alan was the strongest and kindest man I ever knew. He was the love of my life and I miss him dearly," said Leslie Bean, Alan Bean's wife of 40 years. "A native Texans, Alan died peacefully in Houston surrounded by those who loved him."

Bean was a test pilot in the U.S. Navy. He was one of 14 trainees selected by NASA for its third group of astronauts in October 1963. According to NASA, Bean flew into space twice, first as the lunar module pilot on Apollo 12 in November 1969, and then as commander of the second crewed flight to the United States' first space station in July 1973.

"Alan and I have been best friends for 55 years - ever since the day we became astronauts," said Walt Cunningham, who flew on Apollo 7. "When I became head of the Skylab Branch of the Astronaut Office, we worked together and Alan eventually commanded the second Skylab mission."

On Nov. 19, 1969, Bean, along with Apollo 12 commander, Charles "Pete" Conrad, landed on the Ocean of Storms and Bean became the fourth human to walk on the moon. During the two moonwalks Bean helped destroy several surface experiments and installed the first nuclear-powered generator station on the moon to provide the power source. He and Conrad inspected a robotic Surveyor spacecraft and collected 75 pounds (34 kilograms) of rocks and lunar soil for study back on Earth.

Four years after Apollo 12, Bean commanded the second crew to live and work on board the Skylab orbital workshop. During the then-record-setting 59-day, 24.4 million-mile flight, Bean and his two crewmates generated 18 miles of computer tape during surveys of Earth’s resources and 76,000 photographs of the Sun to help scientists better understand its affects on the solar system.

In total, Bean logged 69 days, 15 hours and 45 minutes in space, including 31 hours and 31 minutes on the moon’s surface.

Bean retired from the Navy in 1975 and NASA in 1981. In the four decades since, he devoted his time to creating an artistic record of humanity’s first exploration of another world. His Apollo-themed paintings featured canvases textured with lunar boot prints and were made using acrylics embedded with small pieces of his moon dust-stained mission patches.

“But what was truly extraordinary was his deep caring for others and his willingness to inspire and teach by sharing his personal journey so openly. Anyone who had the opportunity to know Alan was a better person for it, and we were better astronauts by following his example. I am so grateful he was my mentor and friend, and I will miss him terribly. He was a great man and this is a great loss,” said astronaut Mike Massimino, who flew on two space shuttle missions to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

He is survived by his wife Leslie, a sister Paula Stott, and two children from a prior marriage, a daughter Amy Sue and son Clay.

Before You Leave, Check This Out