Alan LaVern Bean, a Captain in the United States Navy (Retired), was born on March 15, 1932 in Wheeler, Texas.
He earned the rank of First Class as a Boy Scout.
When C.C. Williams died in 1967, a space opened up for Bean on the backup crew of Apollo 9, which put him into the crew rotation to fly on Apollo 12.
He resigned from NASA in 1981 to devote his time to painting. He added tiny pieces of his patches to his paintings, some of which included moon dust. He also used a hammer used on the Moon and a bronzed lunar boot to add texture to his paintings.
Bean died on May 26, 2018 in Houston, Texas following a brief illness.
Space Flights:
- Lunar Module Pilot, Apollo 12, November 14-24, 1969. His Apollo 12 crewmates Conrad and Gordon are also buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
- Commander, Skylab 3, July 29-September 3, 1973
Total Hours in Space: 1,671+
Astronaut Group: 3-October 18, 1963
Degrees: BS, aeronautical engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 1955, awarded an honorary doctorate of science, Texas Wesleyan College, 1972. Presented an honorary doctorate of engineering science, University of Akron, 1974.
Military Service & Awards: He served in the U.S. Naval Reserve following high school. He was later commissioned as a U.S. Navy ensign through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps and attended flight training. He served as a pilot and test pilot and logged more than 7,145 hours of flying time, including 4,890 hours in jet aircraft. Awarded two Navy Distinguished Service Medals.
Interred at Arlington National Cemetery: November 8, 2018
Section: 11
Grave: 249-2-B
Grid: N-13
How to locate: From the Memorial Amphitheater travel south on Memorial Drive and bear right on Porter Drive. Make a sharp left on McPherson Drive. Turn left on McKinley Drive. The gravesite will be on your left before the next curve in the road, about 15 gravesites in from the road.