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Fallen Astronaut

Fallen Astronaut is an aluminum sculpture by Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck. It depicts a stylized astronaut in a spacesuit and was created to commemorate astronauts and cosmonauts who died in the advancement of space exploration. The sculpture was commissioned and placed on the Moon by the Apollo 15 crew at Hadley Rille on August 2, 1971, alongside a plaque listing 14 names of those who had died up to that time. It lies on the ground among several footprints. The memorial remained secret until after the mission, and later led to controversy when Van Hoeydonck attempted to sell copies of the figure.

Fallen Astronaut figure lying on a textured grey surface, casting a sharp shadow.
The Fallen Astronaut figure shown in close-up on a textured grey surface.
August 1971 © NASA · Public domain
A small fallen astronaut figure lies on the lunar surface beside a memorial plaque.
Fallen Astronaut memorial on the Moon, shown with the plaque and small figure set in the lunar regolith.
August 1971 © NASA · Public domain
Fallen Astronaut memorial showing a small white astronaut figure lying on a dusty surface beside a partially embedded plaque.
The Fallen Astronaut memorial, with a small astronaut figure and plaque set on the lunar surface.
© NASA · Public domain
A small white fallen astronaut figure lies beside a plaque on a gray lunar surface.
Fallen Astronaut on the lunar surface, shown with the memorial plaque beside it.
August 1971 © NASA · Public domain
The Fallen Astronaut plaque beside a small fallen figure on the Moon’s surface.
The Fallen Astronaut memorial plaque on the lunar surface, shown beside the small fallen figure.
1971 © NASA · Public domain

Identification

TitleFallen Astronaut
TypeSculpture / statuette / miniature sculpture
Original-language titlesEl astronauta caído; Poległy astronauta; «Павший астронавт»; «Полеглий астронавт»

Creator

ArtistPaul Van Hoeydonck
NationalityBelgian
ProfessionArtist and engraver
Year created1971

Historical context

Artist’s interpretation of purposeVan Hoeydonck said he understood it more as an image of all humanity and said he did not know it would become a memorial for fallen space travelers
PurposeTo commemorate astronauts and cosmonauts who died in the advancement of space exploration
Commissioning contextCommissioned after a meeting with David Scott, with the understanding that the sculptor would create a small statuette for Scott to leave on the Moon on the next flight
Commissioned byDavid Scott of Apollo 15

Physical characteristics

Height8.5 cm
Depicted figureA stylized astronaut in a spacesuit
PoseLying on its back / face up
Design requirementsLightweight and robust; able to withstand extreme lunar temperature changes; not identifiable as male or female or as any specific ethnicity

Materials

MaterialAluminum

Location and ownership

Plaque namesEight astronauts and six cosmonauts; names were listed alphabetically
Plaque inscription detailsThe plaque was made by David Scott and commemorated U.S. and Soviet astronauts/cosmonauts who died in missions, during training, or in active service; two additional Soviet names were later noted as having been kept secret until the 1980s
Placement locationThe Moon, at the Apollo 15 landing site in the Hadley–Apennine / Hadley Rille region, on the southeastern edge of Mare Imbrium
Associated plaqueA commemorative plaque was placed nearby, listing 14 names of astronauts and cosmonauts who had died up to that time
Placement date1 August 1971
Placed byThe Apollo 15 crew; specifically David Scott and James Irwin are named in the sources

History and restoration

Public disclosureThe Apollo 15 crew kept the memorial secret until after the mission and disclosed it at a post-mission press conference
ReplicaThe National Air and Space Museum requested a replica, which was transferred in April 1972; a replica is now on display with a copy of the plaque
Commercial controversyVan Hoeydonck attempted to sell up to 950 copies of the figure, but abandoned the plan under NASA pressure; he later said in 2007 that he had made 935 copies and had sold only one
Anonymity agreementAccording to Scott, the artist's name was to remain unpublished to avoid commercialization of the U.S. space program; Van Hoeydonck disputed this
Later disputeVan Hoeydonck claimed a different understanding of the agreement with the astronauts and said he did not choose or approve the title
Later statement by ScottIn a 2021 Memorandum for the Record, Scott stated that the figurine left on the Moon was designed and fabricated by NASA personnel, based on bathroom stick-figure symbols

Significance

Claimed distinctionDescribed by Walter Cronkite as the first artistic installation on the Moon
Uniqueness claimsSources describe it as the only work of art known with certainty to be on the Moon / on extraterrestrial soil, though some note that other objects may be argued to have remained there for reasons other than art
Historical significanceOne of the earliest examples of art taken into space

Other

Related uncertain claimMoon Museum is said to have been smuggled to the Moon, but there is no proof