Alan Bean | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bean in 1969 | |
| Born | Alan LaVern Bean (1932-03-15)March 15, 1932 Wheeler, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | May 26, 2018(2018-05-26) (aged 86) |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Education | University of Texas, Austin (BS) |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | NASA Distinguished Service Medal |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Captain,USN |
Time in space | 69d 15h 45m |
| Selection | NASA Group 3 (1963) |
TotalEVAs | 3 |
Total EVA time | 10h 12m[1][2] |
| Missions | |
Mission insignia |   |
| Retirement | June 1981 |
Alan LaVern Bean (March 15, 1932 – May 26, 2018) was an Americannaval officer andaviator,aeronautical engineer,test pilot,NASAastronaut andpainter. He was selected to become an astronaut by NASA in 1963 as part ofAstronaut Group 3, and was thefourth person to walk on the Moon.
Before becoming an astronaut, Bean graduated with aBachelor of Science degree inAeronautical Engineering fromUniversity of Texas at Austin in 1955 and re-joined the U.S. Navy—he served as an enlisted member for a year after his high school graduation. He received his naval aviator wings in 1956 and served as afighter pilot. In 1960, he graduated from theU.S. Naval Test Pilot School, flew as a test pilot and wasThe New Nine selection finalist in 1962.
Bean made his first flight into space aboardApollo 12 in November 1969, the second crewed mission to land on theMoon. He spent over seven hours walking on the Moon during two lunar excursions. He made his second and final flight into space on theSkylab 3 mission in 1973, the second crewed mission to theSkylabspace station.
After retiring from theUnited States Navy in 1975 and NASA in 1981, Bean pursued his interest in painting, depicting various space-related scenes and documenting his own experiences in space as well as those of his fellowApollo program astronauts. He was the last living crew member of Apollo 12.
Bean was born March 15, 1932,[3] inWheeler, the seat ofWheeler County in the northeasternTexas Panhandle, to parents Arnold Horace Bean and Frances Caroline Bean (née Murphy), who lived from 1908 to 1983, and 1906 to 1981, respectively.[4][5][6] He consideredFort Worth his hometown.[7] He was ofScottish descent.[8] As a boy, he lived inMinden, the seat ofWebster Parish in northwesternLouisiana, where his father worked for theU.S. Soil Conservation Service.[9][10] Bean was aBoy Scout and he earned the rank ofFirst Class.[11] He graduated fromR. L. Paschal High School inFort Worth, Texas, in 1949.[12][13] Following his high school graduation in 1949, Bean enlisted in theU.S. Naval Reserve.[14]
Bean received aBachelor of Science degree inaeronautical engineering from theUniversity of Texas at Austin in 1955, where he attended on aNaval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) scholarship.[14] While at the university, he also joined theDelta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.[15]
He was an Electronics Technician Striker at theNAS Dallas,Texas, until September 1950, when he washonorably discharged.[13] In January 1955, Bean was commissioned aU.S. Navyensign through the NROTC at the University of Texas at Austin, and attended flight training.[12] After completing flight training in June 1956, he was assigned toAttack Squadron 44 (VA-44) atNAS Jacksonville,Florida, from 1956 to 1960, flying theF9F Cougar andA4D Skyhawk. After a four-year tour of duty,[16] he attended theU.S. Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) atNAS Patuxent River,Maryland, where his instructor was his futureApollo 12 Commander,Pete Conrad, graduating in November 1960.[7][13] Bean tookart classes atSt. Mary's College of Maryland during this tour,[17] and flew as atest pilot on several types of naval aircraft. Following his assignment at USNTPS and aviation safety training with theUniversity of Southern California (USC), he went through additional instruction with his old Attack Squadron 44,[13] and was assigned to Navy Attack SquadronVA-172 atNAS Cecil Field, Florida, flying theA-4 Skyhawks, during which time he was selected as a NASA astronaut.[14][18]
Bean logged more than 7,145 hours of flying time, including 4,890 hours injet aircraft.[19]
Bean was selected by NASA as part ofAstronaut Group 3 in 1963 (after not being selected forAstronaut Group 2 the previous year).[20] He was selected to be the backup command pilot forGemini 10, but was unsuccessful in securing an early Apollo flight assignment. He was placed in theApollo Applications Program in the interim. In that capacity, he was the first astronaut to dive in theNeutral Buoyancy Simulator and a champion of the process for astronaut training.[21] When fellow astronautClifton Williams was killed in an air crash, a space was opened for Bean on the backup crew forApollo 9. Apollo 12 Commander Conrad, who had instructed Bean at the Naval Test Pilot School years before, personally requested Bean to replace Williams.[14][18]
Bean was theApollo Lunar Module pilot onApollo 12, the second lunar landing. In November 1969, Bean andPete Conrad landed on the Moon'sOcean of Storms—after a flight of 250,000 miles and a launch that included a harrowing lightning strike. He was the astronaut who executedJohn Aaron's "Flight, try SCE to 'Aux'" instruction to restore telemetry after the spacecraft was struck by lightning 36 seconds after launch, thus salvaging the mission. They explored the lunar surface, deployed severallunar surface experiments, and installed the first nuclear power generator station on the Moon to provide the power source.Dick Gordon remained in lunar orbit, photographing landing sites for future missions.[19]
_Pete_Conrad%2c_Dick_Gordon%2c_and_Al_Bean_pose_with_the_Apollo_12_Saturn_V.jpg)
Bean had planned on using a self-timer for hisHasselblad camera to take a photograph of both Pete Conrad and himself while on the lunar surface near theSurveyor III spacecraft. He was hoping to record a good photo, and also to confuse the mission scientists as to how the photo could have been taken. However, neither he nor Conrad could locate the timer in the tool carrier tote bag while at the Surveyor III site, thus lost the opportunity. After finding the self-timer unit at the end of theEVA, when it was too late to use, he threw it as far as he could.[22] His paintings of what this photo would have looked like (titledThe Fabulous Photo We Never Took) and one of his fruitless search for the timer (Our Little Secret) are included in his collection of Apollo paintings.[23][24]
Bean's suit is on display in theNational Air and Space Museum.[25]
Bean was the spacecraft commander ofSkylab 3, the second crewed mission toSkylab, from July 29 to September 25, 1973. With him on the mission were scientist-astronautOwen Garriott andMarine CorpsColonel Jack R. Lousma. Bean and his crew were on Skylab for 59 days, during which time they covered a world-record-setting 24.4 million miles.[19] During the mission, Bean tested a prototype of theManned Maneuvering Unit and performed one spacewalk outside the Skylab. The crew of Skylab 3 accomplished 150% of its mission goals.[19]
On his next assignment, Bean was the backup spacecraft commander of the United States flight crew for the joint American-RussianApollo–Soyuz Test Project.[19]
Bean retired from the Navy in October 1975 as acaptain, and continued as head of the Astronaut Candidate Operations and Training Group within the Astronaut Office in a civilian capacity.[19][26]
Bean logged 1,671 hours and 45 minutes in space while atNASA, of which 10 hours and 26 minutes were spent inEVAs on the Moon and inEarth orbit.[19]
Bean resigned from NASA in June 1981 to devote his time topainting. He said his decision was based on that, in his 18 years as an astronaut, he was fortunate enough to visit worlds and see sights no artist's eye, past or present, has ever viewed firsthand and he hoped to express these experiences through his art.[12]
As a painter, Bean wanted to add color to the Moon. "I had to figure out a way to add color to the Moon without ruining it," he remarked. In his paintings, the lunar landscape is not a monotonous gray, but shades of various colors. "If I were a scientist painting the Moon, I would paint it gray. I'm an artist, so I can add colors to the Moon", said Bean.[27]
Bean's paintings includeLunar Grand Prix andRock and Roll on the Ocean of Storms, and he used real Moon dust in his paintings.[28] When he began painting, he realized that keepsake patches from his space suit were dirty with Moon dust. He added tiny pieces of the patches to his paintings, which made them unique. He also used a hammer, used to pound the flagpole into the lunar surface, and a bronzed Moon boot to texture his paintings.[29]
In July 2009, for the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, Bean exhibited his lunar paintings at theSmithsonian Institution'sNational Air and Space Museum in Washington.[30]
But I'm the only one who can paint the Moon, because I'm the only one who knows whether that's right or not.
— Bean describing his Moon painting capability[12]
Bean took a piece ofClan MacBeantartan to the Moon.[31] In recognition of his Scottish ancestry, Bean stated:
As I remember it, I took Clan McBean tartan to the Moon and returned it to Earth. […] I did, in fact, give a piece of the tartan to the Clan McBean and also to the St Bean Chapel in Scotland. And I've still got some of it in my possession. I did not, however leave any of it on the Moon.[32]
He married Sue Ragsdale, a fellow graduate of the University of Texas on April 19, 1955, shortly before her graduation.[33] With Ragsdale, Bean had a son, Clay, and a daughter, Amy Sue.[34][35]
Bean died on May 26, 2018, inHouston, Texas, at the age of 86.[36] His death followed the sudden onset of illness two weeks before while he was inFort Wayne, Indiana.[35] At the time of his death, Bean was married to his second wife, Leslie, and was also survived by his sister, Paula Scott.[35]
Bean was interred inArlington National Cemetery on November 8, 2018.[37]
He was awarded with several awards and decorations during his career. He received theRear Admiral William S. Parsons Award for Scientific and Technical Progress,[19] theGodfrey L. Cabot Award for 1970,[19] theNational Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Trustees Award,[19] theV. M. Komarov Diploma for 1973[19] and theAAS Flight Achievement Award for 1974.[19]
Bean received theNavy Astronaut Wings, theNavy Distinguished Service Medal (twice), theNASA Distinguished Service Medal (twice), and theNational Defense Service Medal withbronze star.[13][19][38]
Bean was inducted into theInternational Space Hall of Fame in 1983,[12][39] theU.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997,[40][41] theInternational Air & Space Hall of Fame in 2010,[42] and theNational Aviation Hall of Fame for 2010.[43] He was also afellow of theAmerican Astronautical Society and a member of theSociety of Experimental Test Pilots.[19]
Bean received the University of Texas Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1970 and the Distinguished Engineering Graduate Award.[44] Bean, the first Texan to walk on the Moon, was awarded the Texas Press Associations Texan of the Year Award for 1969.[45] The 1973Robert J. Collier Trophy was awarded to NASA and the Skylab crew.[46] Bean was awarded anHonoraryDoctorate of Science fromTexas Wesleyan College in 1972, and was presented an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering Science degree from theUniversity of Akron (Ohio) in 1974.[19] The city of Chicago held a parade and presented gold medals to the Skylab astronauts in 1974.[47] Bean was the recipient ofFédération Aéronautique Internationale's prestigiousYuri Gagarin Gold Medal for 1973 inSydney,Australia.[48] In 1975, President Ford presented Skylab commanderGerald Carr with theDr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy at a White House ceremony, on behalf of all Skylab astronauts (including Bean).[49] Bean was a co-recipient ofAIAA'sOctave Chanute Award for 1975, along with fellow Skylab 3 astronautsJack Lousma andOwen Garriott.[50] In 2019, Northrop Grumman named the spacecraft for theNG-12 mission theS.S. Alan Bean.[51]
In the 1998HBOminiseriesFrom the Earth to the Moon, Bean was portrayed byDave Foley.[52] Swedishindie pop artistStina Nordenstam has a song called "The Return of Alan Bean" on her 1991 debut albumMemories of a Color.[53] British indie rock bandHefner released a single called "Alan Bean" in 2001, writing from the perspective of Bean during Apollo 12.[54] For her 2019 novel,America Was Hard to Find, American writerKathleen Alcott based her description of the Apollo landing on interviews she conducted with Bean.[55]
Bean's in-flight Skylab diary is featured inHomesteading Space: the Skylab Story, a history of the Skylab program co-authored by fellow astronauts Dr.Joseph Kerwin and Dr.Owen Garriott and writerDavid Hitt, published in 2008.[56]
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