Apollo astronaut became artist whose work specialised in the moon landings
Alan Bean, who has died aged 86, was a Nasa astronaut who journeyed into space twice and, as part of the Apollo 12 mission in 1969, became the fourth man to walk on the moon.
Bean was a navy test pilot who joined Nasa’s astronaut corps in 1963. He made his first voyage into space on November 14, 1969, four months after the historic first landing on the moon of Apollo 11, commanded by Neil Armstrong.
The three astronauts aboard Apollo 12 were Charles ‘‘Pete’’ Conrad, the mission commander, Richard Gordon, the command module pilot, and Bean, whose duty was as lunar module pilot.
After more than four days of flying through space, Conrad and Bean settled on to the lunar surface on November 19, landing in a broad plain called the Ocean of Storms. Gordon circled in the command module, the Yankee Clipper, looking down from more than 100 kilometres above.
Conrad was the first Apollo 12 astronaut to step on to the moon, describing it as having a ‘‘very light, grey-like concrete appearance’’.
He added: ‘‘If I wanted to go out and look at something that looked like the moon, I’d go out and look at my driveway.’’
Bean followed him on to the lunar surface, where they collected rocks and took core samples of dirt, going as deep as 80 centimetres. As images were transmitted back to television viewers, the astronauts set up scientific instruments to measure wind, solar radiation and other conditions.
When the TV camera stopped working, Bean attempted some repairs.
‘‘OK, it’s coming in there now, Al,’’ a Nasa spokesman from Mission Control in Houston said. ‘‘What changes did you make?’’
‘‘I hit it on the top with my hammer,’’ Bean said.
‘‘Skilful fix, Al,’’ the spokesman replied. Ultimately, the camera failed. Nonetheless, Conrad and Bean pushed on with a second walk on the lunar surface, taking photographs of their surroundings and retrieving parts from the Surveyor III, an unmanned spacecraft that had reached the moon in 1967.
They were practically giddy during their four hours on the moon.
‘‘Hey, it’s real nice moving around up here,’’ Bean said. ‘‘You don’t seem to get tired. You really hop like a bunny.’’
He and Conrad tossed a frisbee and, in an atmosphere with one-sixth the gravitational pull as on earth, took steps 10 feet long.
‘‘Do you know what I feel like, Al?’’ Conrad said. ‘‘Did you ever see those pictures of giraffes running in slow motion? That’s exactly what I feel like.’’
At one point, they witnessed an eclipse of the Sun by the Earth. ‘‘This has got to be the most spectacular sight of the whole flight,’’
Alan Bean
Astronaut b March 15, 1932 d May 26, 2018 Bean said. ‘‘You can’t see the Earth. It’s black just like the space.’’
As the astronauts finished their scientific work, they planted an American flag on the moon. They also left behind their boots and pressurised suits, to have more storage space for lunar rocks.
After more than 31 hours on the moon, Conrad and Bean lifted off and rejoined Gordon in the Yankee Clipper. Their 10-day journey ended on November 24, when they splashed down in the Pacific.
Four years later, Bean returned to space as commander of the second mission to the Skylab orbiting space station. He, Jack Lousma and Owen Garriott stayed aloft for 59 days, conducting a variety of biological experiments to test the body’s ability to endure the physical and psychological demands of prolonged space flight.
In the late 1970s, Bean became chief of the astronaut training programme, preparing for the first shuttle mission, which was launched in 1981.
Soon afterwards, Bean retired from Nasa to devote himself to a longtime hobby that had become an overriding passion: painting.
‘‘My boss asked if I could make a living off art, and I said I didn’t know, but I had to find out,’’ he told People magazine in 1981. ‘‘It has become my dream.’’
His exclusive subject was the space programme and, in particular, the lunar missions. He sought to make every detail accurate and sometimes included specks of moon dust on his canvasses. ‘‘I’m the only person doing moonscapes who has been there,’’ he said.
Alan Lavern Bean was born in Wheeler, Texas. He won a navy scholarship to the University of Texas, graduating in 1955 with a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering, then entered the navy’s test-pilot programme. His instructor was Conrad, who later encouraged him to apply for the astronaut corps.
In his off hours, Bean began to study painting. ‘‘On weekends and nights,’’ he later said, ‘‘I painted instead of playing golf.’’
He retired from the navy with the rank of captain in 1975.
His first marriage, to Sue Ragsdale, ended in divorce. Survivors include Leslie, his wife of more than 35 years; two children from his first marriage; a sister; and at least two grandchildren.
Bean’s paintings have been exhibited at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington and have sold to collectors for well in excess of $100,000.
He continued to paint – and to be a vocal supporter of space travel – for the rest of his life.
‘‘I saw great things during Apollo, things no other artist has experienced,’’ he said in 2007. ‘‘With these paintings, I can celebrate that.’’ –
‘‘I’m the only person doing moonscapes who has been there.’’ Alan Bean on his artwork