Alan L. Bean

Alan L. Bean
NASA / Johnson Space Center (NASA-JSC) · Public domain · source
Name	Alan L. Bean
Caption	Bean in 1969
Birth date	March 15, 1932
Birth place	Wheeler, Texas, U.S.
Death date	May 26, 2018
Death place	Houston, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Naval aviator, test pilot, NASA astronaut, artist
Alma mater	University of Texas at Austin, Naval Postgraduate School
Rank	Captain, United States Navy
Missions	Apollo 12, Skylab 3
Awards	Congressional Space Medal of Honor, NASA Distinguished Service Medal

Alan L. Bean

Alan LaVern Bean was an American astronaut and United States Navy officer who walked on the Moon as lunar module pilot of Apollo 12 and later commanded Skylab 3. A test pilot and naval aviator trained at the University of Texas at Austin and the Naval Postgraduate School, he transitioned to a second career as a prominent space-themed painter. Bean received numerous honors including the Presidential Medal of Freedom-era recognition and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Early life and education

Bean was born in Wheeler, Texas and raised in Texas City, Texas, attending Pasadena High School (Texas) before matriculating at the University of Texas at Austin. At Texas he was a member of Sigma Chi and earned a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering while participating in Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps programs. After commissioning into the United States Navy, he completed postgraduate studies at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

Naval aviation career

Assigned initially to Carrier Air Group 1, Bean flew F4U Corsair-type operations and transitioned to jet training with Naval Air Training Command. He served aboard aircraft carriers including USS Leyte (CV-32) and trained as a test pilot at the Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent River, Maryland. Bean flew F9F Cougar and F8U Crusader variants, qualified in carrier takeoffs and landings, and became involved with fleet replacement squadrons and experimental flight test programs that connected him professionally to figures from Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron Blue Angels alumni circles and to institutions such as the Bureau of Aeronautics.

NASA selection and astronaut training

Bean was selected in NASA Astronaut Group 3 (1963) alongside colleagues from Mercury Seven, Gemini veterans, and later Apollo crewmates. He trained at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, learning lunar geology with teams from the United States Geological Survey and the Smithsonian Institution. His astronaut training included work with the Lunar Module systems, extravehicular activity planning with engineers from Grumman, and simulations at the Johnson Space Center simulators used by contemporaries such as Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins.

Apollo and Skylab missions

As lunar module pilot of Apollo 12, Bean flew with commander Charles "Pete" Conrad and command module pilot Richard F. Gordon Jr. The mission achieved a pinpoint landing near the Surveyor 3 probe at the Ocean of Storms and conducted both surface EVA and scientific exploration in coordination with teams from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package program. Later, Bean commanded Skylab 3 (also designated SL-2) with crewmates including Owen Garriott and Jack R. Lousma, conducting experiments in solar physics with instruments developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center and biomedical studies with researchers from the National Institutes of Health.

Post-NASA career and art

After leaving active flight status, Bean pursued painting, establishing a reputation for works depicting lunar surface scenes and spacecraft using materials and techniques informed by his astronaut background. He collaborated with galleries in Houston and Santa Fe, New Mexico, and his art intermingled with exhibitions at institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, and private collections associated with figures like Tom Hanks and organizations such as the National Air and Space Museum. Bean authored books and participated in documentary projects with producers from PBS, National Geographic, and BBC teams, engaging historians and curators from the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal community and scholarly groups including the International Astronomical Union.

Personal life and legacy

Bean married and raised a family while maintaining ties to veteran communities such as the Association of Space Explorers and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He received awards from NASA including the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and recognition from civic bodies such as the State of Texas and the City of Houston. Bean mentored artists and former astronauts, participated in panels with members of Congressional committees overseeing space policy, and left a legacy referenced in works by historians at the Smithsonian Institution and academics at institutions like Rice University and the University of Houston. His contributions are commemorated in displays at the Johnson Space Center and in educational programs run by the Planetary Society and other outreach organizations.

Category:1932 births Category:2018 deaths Category:Apollo astronauts Category:Skylab astronauts Category:American painters Category:United States Navy officers