Fallen Astronaut
1971
Aluminum figure. Height: 8.9cm
NASA
Fallen Astronaut is a 3.5-inch (8.9 cm) aluminum sculpture created by Paul Van Hoeydonck. It is a small stylized figure, meant to depict an astronaut in a spacesuit, intended to commemorate the astronauts and cosmonauts who have died in the advancement of space exploration. It was commissioned and placed on the Moon by the crew of Apollo 15 at Hadley Rille on August 1, 1971, next to a plaque listing the 14 men known who died. The statue lies horizontal on the ground among several footprints.
The crew kept the memorial's existence a secret until after completion of their mission. After public disclosure, the National Air and Space Museum requested a replica of the statue. Controversy soon followed, as Van Hoeydonck claimed a different understanding of the agreement made with the astronauts and attempted to sell up to 950 copies of the statue. He finally relented under pressure from NASA, which had a strict policy against commercial exploitation of the US government space program.
Technical information:
Artwork name:
Fallen Astronaut
Date:
Creator:
1971
Paul Van Hoeydonck
Country:
Belgium
This work is part of the following collection:
none
Aluminum figure. Height: 8.9cm
Medium:
Dimensions:
+- 2 x 9 cm
Sculpture
Genre:
IAAA Art Style:
space sculpture
Launch vehicle / mission:
Saturn V - Apollo 15
Host spacecraft / hardware:
Apollo LM-10
COSPAR id
1971-063C
Launch location:
Kennedy Space Center
Launch date:
26 Jul 1971
Orbit / space location:
Moon
Return vehicle:
End date:
Status:
Operational
Client / Agency:
NASA
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