Fourth man to walk on Moon dies aged 86

FORMER Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean – the fourth man to walk on the Moon – has died aged 86.

Bean, right, was the lunar module pilot for the second moon landing mission in November 1969.

He spent 31 hours on the moon deploying surface experiments and collecting rocks and lunar soil for study back on Earth.

The father-of-two died on Saturday in Houston, Texas, following a short illness, according to a statement from Nasa.

Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine said: ‘As all great explorers are, Alan was a boundary pusher.

‘We will remember him fondly as the great explorer who reached out to embrace the universe.’

Bean retired from Nasa in 1981 and went on to become an accomplished artist, incorporating moon dust in his work.

His wife of 40 years, Leslie Bean, described her husband as ‘the strongest and kindest man I ever knew’.