Alan L. Bean was an American astronaut and naval aviator who was the fourth person to walk on the moon. He was born on March 15, 1932 in Wheeler, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in aeronautical engineering.
Bean was selected to be an astronaut in 1963, and served as the backup pilot for the Gemini 10 mission. He later flew as the lunar module pilot on the Apollo 12 mission in 1969, where he and fellow astronaut Pete Conrad landed on the moon and conducted several scientific experiments. Bean later served as the commander of the Skylab 3 mission in 1973, which was the first manned mission to the Skylab space station.
After retiring from NASA in 1981, Bean became an artist, focusing on paintings that depicted his experiences in space. He died on May 26, 2018 at the age of 86.
Conrad continued to work for NASA after the Apollo program ended, and served as the head of the Skylab program, which involved the construction and operation of the first space station. He retired from NASA in 1973 and later worked in the private sector. Conrad died in a motorcycle accident on July 8, 1999.