Fourth man on the moon dies, aged 86

The astronaut Alan Bean, who in 1969 became the fourth person to walk on the moon, has died in Houston, after a short illness. He was 86.

Bean was the lunar module pilot on Apollo 12, which made the second moon landing. He then commanded the second crewed flight to the first US space station, Skylab, in 1973.

On that mission, he orbited the Earth for 59 days. Bean spent a total of 69 days in space, including 31 hours on the moon.

His wife of 40 years, Leslie Bean, said in a statement that he died peacefully surrounded by those who loved him.