#fallen astronaut

[moonwatchuniverse]

55 years ago… "Fallen Astronaut" artwork on the Moon ! August 2, 1971, a 9 cm Aluminium “Fallen Astronaut” artwork figurine, conceived and designated by Belgian Antwerp-based artist Paul Van Hoeydonck, was left on the Moon by Apollo 15 commander David Scott. Moonwalker David Scott photographed the figurine next to a memorial plaque but waited for a post-mission press conference to publicly disclose its existence. This plaque had the names of eight American astronauts and six Soviet cosmonauts who had died in service thus far between 1961 and 1971. NASA only revealed the figurine was made by Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck during the Apollo 16 launch on April 16 1972, as the artist was interviewed by CBS reporter Walter Conkrite. Wristwatch check… An Omega Speedmaster 1861 chronograph on a steel mesh Jacoby Bender Champion bracelet. (Photo: MoonwatchUniverse)

[abstracteddistractions]

Paul Van Hoeydonck (October 8, 1925 -  May 3, 2025)

Paul Van Hoeydonck was a Belgian sculptor and painter. Van Hoeydonck was best known for his 1971 sculpture Fallen Astronaut, which commemorated fallen astronauts and was placed on the Moon by the Apollo 15 crew, where it remains today.

"Composition," 1960, Work on Paper, Drawings, 54 x 73 cm

[mindblowingfactz]

There is an art installation on the Moon called Fallen Astronaut by Paul Van Hoeydonck. The plaque pays tribute to the men of the US and Soviet space programs who have lost their lives during space missions.  

[weirdlandtv]

First art on the Moon: the “Fallen Astronaut” figurine. The sculpture, by Belgian artist Paul van Hoeydonck, was placed on the moon by the crew of the Apollo 15 in 1971 to commemorate astronauts and cosmonauts who had died prior to their mission.

[therealuniverse]

Fallen Astronaut is an 8.5 cm (slightly over 3") aluminium sculpture of an astronaut in a spacesuit which commemorates astronauts and cosmonauts who died in the advancement of space exploration. It is currently at Hadley Rille on the Moon, having been placed there by the crew of Apollo 15 on August 1, 1971.

Fallen Astronaut was placed on the moon along with a plaque bearing the names of eight American astronauts and six Soviet cosmonauts who had died: Theodore Freeman (October 31, 1964, aircraft accident) Charles Bassett (February 28, 1966, aircraft accident) Elliott See (February 28, 1966, aircraft accident) Gus Grissom (January 27, 1967, Apollo 1 fire) Roger Chaffee (January 27, 1967, Apollo 1 fire) Edward White (January 27, 1967, Apollo 1 fire) Vladimir Komarov (April 24, 1967, Soyuz 1 re-entry parachute failure) Edward Givens (June 6, 1967 automobile accident) Clifton Williams (October 5, 1967, aircraft accident) Yuri Gagarin (March 27, 1968, aircraft accident) Pavel Belyayev (January 10, 1970, disease) Georgi Dobrovolski (June 30, 1971, Soyuz 11 re-entry pressurization failure) Viktor Patsayev (June 30, 1971, Soyuz 11 re-entry pressurization failure) Vladislav Volkov (June 30, 1971, Soyuz 11 re-entry pressurization failure) Commander of the Apollo 15 mission David Scott notes that "Sadly, two names are missing (from the plaque), those of Valentin Bondarenko and Grigori Nelyubov". Because of the secrecy surrounding the Soviet space program at the time, they were unaware of their deaths at the time the plaque was created. -TS Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallen_Astronaut#/media/File:Fallen_Astronaut.jpg

[mirtadraws]

Please enjoy this lunar fact.

[tiggerpilot]

♪ Follow The Compass - Lunar Eclipse "Мне хотелось понаблюдать Луну, узнать, как она выглядит в космосе. Но, к сожалению, её серп во время полёта находился вне поля моего зрения. "Впрочем, - подумал я, - увижу её в следующем полёте". © Юрий Гагарин, "Дорога в космос". - Слушай, я тут подумал... В следующий раз, когда на Луну полетим... © Алексей Леонов, х/ф "Время Первых" В следующий раз. В следующем полёте. 2017 год. На Луне не было ни одного русского человека. Павший астронавт. Единственный арт-объект на Луне, установленный командиром «Аполлона-15». Табличка с 14 именами ушедших на тот момент из жизни космонавтов, 6 из которых - русские. Если рай существует, то пусть для советских космонавтов он будет там, на Луне. If heaven exists then let it be there for the Soviet cosmonauts. On the Moon. __________ [ВК] [Instagram] [Twitter] [Космо-группа ВКонтакте]

[moonwatchuniverse]

50 years ago... Apollo 15 splash-down & recovery August 7, 1971 after a 12 days 7 hours lunar spaceflight mission, the Apollo 15 crew was recovered in the North Pacific Ocean by USS Okinawa. Note Apollo 15 commander David Scott was clearly wearing the 44 mm diameter Bulova 885104 prototype chronograph he had been wearing since the third lunar EVA at Hadley Rille. This means Scott wore the Bulova chronograph during the “Hammer & Feather” Galileo gravity field experiment, during the salute to the Stars & Stripes at the Hadley-Apennine lunar surface and while putting the “Fallen Astronaut” artwork memorial on the Moon. Worn outside the Apollo A7LB spacesuit, this Bulova chronograph worked flawlessly onboard the Lunar Rover in the dusty lunar environment. In October 2015, this Bulova chronograph with moondust-stained velcro strap was auctioned as the only privately-owned watch to be worn on the surface of the moon! (Photo: NASA)