Alan LaVern Bean was born in Wheeler, Texas on March 15, 1932. He received a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering in 1955 from the University of Texas. He obtained a commission in Navy aviation and after completing test-pilot school was selected by NASA as one of 14 new astronauts in October 1963. He was a member of the Apollo 12 crew and became the fourth person to walk on the moon.
In July 1973, he commanded a three-man flight to Skylab orbiting laboratory. The astronauts on that mission spent 59 days in space. He retired from the Navy in 1975, but remained with NASA until 1981 overseeing the training of future astronauts. He became a full-time artist. He wrote several books including Apollo written with Andrew Chaikin. He died on May 26, 2018 at the age of 86.
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