The world is mourning the death of a NASA astronaut. Alan Bean died today in Houston at 86. He was the fourth man to walk on the moon. Bean's family says he passed away following a short illness. Bean flew into space twice and spent over ten hours on the moon's surface during the Apollo 12 expedition. After retirement, he dedicated his life to painting. Bean is survived by his wife and four children and is remembered in the science community as extraordinarily kind and talented.
Photo: Apollo 12 astronauts, left to right, Charles P. 'Pete' Conrad, commander, Richard F. Gordon, command module pilot, and Alan L. Bean, lunar module pilot. (Photo by NASA)