Latest news with #FallenAstronaut
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Belgian artist of 'Fallen Astronaut' figurine on the moon dies at 99
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck (right) presents Apollo astronaut Michael Collins, director of the National Air and Space Museum, with a replica of the "Fallen Astronaut" figure in 1972. . | Credit: Smithsonian A Belgian sculptor credited with the "Fallen Astronaut" figurine left on the surface of the moon in 1971 has now fallen himself. Artist Paul Van Hoeydonck died on Saturday (May 3) at his home in Wijnegem, Antwerp in Belgium, according to a statement released by his family. He was 99. "Paul went home peacefully this afternoon," read the note on his Facebook page. A close-up view of the "Fallen Astronaut" figurine and plaque left on the moon in memory of 14 astronauts and cosmonauts. | Credit: NASA On Aug. 2, 1971, as NASA's Apollo 15 astronauts wrapped up their third of three excursions out onto the lunar surface, the mission's commander David Scott placed a small aluminum figure and its accompanying plaque near where he had parked their lunar rover for the last time. Although Scott did not make mention of it while he was on the moon, he revealed the "Fallen Astronaut" statuette once he and his crewmates, Jim Irwin and Al Worden, were back on Earth. "We left a small memorial on the moon about 20 feet north of [the lunar rover] in a small, subtle crater," said Scott. "There's a simple plaque with 14 names, and those are the names, in alphabetical order, of all of the astronauts and cosmonauts who have died in the pursuit of the exploration of space." "Near it is a small figure representing a fallen astronaut," he added. Three years earlier, Van Hoeydonck came up with the idea of the mini monument to celebrate "humanity rising into space." After making adjustments to the sculpture to meet NASA requirements and its purpose being recast as a tribute to the space explorers who made the ultimate sacrifice, Van Hoeydonck met with the Apollo 15 astronauts to hand over his creation a month before their launch. Related stories: — The Apollo Program: How NASA sent astronauts to the moon — Apollo 15: The moon buggy debuts — NASA honors fallen astronauts with 'Day of Remembrance' ceremony "I didn't think it would ever happen. Of course I was interested in all this, but being an artist, who would have thought it possible of having one of my statuettes put on the moon?" said van Hoeydonck in a 2015 interview with the British Interplanetary Society's Spaceflight magazine. Complying with NASA's requirement that the statue not be commercialized, Scott did not disclose the name of the artist. It was not until a replica of the "Fallen Astronaut" was requested and put on display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. that Van Hoeydonck's role in the tribute first became public. Van Hoeydonck's plans to sell replicas of his statuette were deferred after Scott and NASA expressed concerns over the exploitation of the memorial. (Van Hoeydonck, in partnership with the Breckner Gallery in Düsseldorf, Germany, recreated the artist's original 1969 idea for the statue and marketed a limited run of 1,971 signed and numbered pieces in 2019.) In 2021, Scott rebuked Van Hoeydonck's involvement, writing in a memorandum that the "Fallen Astronaut" figurine that he left on the moon had been "fabricated by NASA personnel." He said that the design "was based on standard 'stick-figures' that had been universally accepted in the late 1960s as location symbols for bathrooms." Scott wrote that before the mission there was "absolutely no contact or knowledge outside these limited NASA personnel regarding this project." Whether of not Van Hoeydonck is properly credited with the "Fallen Astronaut" on the moon, his other space sculptures have been exhibited in Milan, Tokyo and at the Guggenheim in New York City. He was also the focus of the 2020 documentary "The Fallen Astronaut," about "a sculpture that died on its way to the moon." Born on Oct. 8, 1925 in Antwerp, Belgium, Van Hoeydonck studied at the Institute of Art History in his home town and at the Institute of Art History and Archaeology in Brussels. Follow on Facebook and on X at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
The Star
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Belgium's Van Hoeydonck, first artist to exhibit on Moon, dies
Van Hoeydonck is best known for 'Fallen Astronaut', an aluminium sculpture left on the moon in 1971 by Apollo 15, in tribute to fallen astronauts. Photo: Studio Paul Van Hoeydonck Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck, who made what was for decades the only work of art on the Moon, died on Saturday aged 99, his family said on Facebook. Born on Oct 8, 1925, Van Hoeydonck was a prolific artist whose works spanned sculpture, painting, drawing, collage and graphic design. He is best known for Fallen Astronaut , an aluminium sculpture left on the moon in 1971 by the crew of the Apollo 15 spacecraft, in homage to their fallen colleagues. It was the first and, for decades, the only work of art on show on the Moon's surface. In February 2024, Fallen Astronaut was joined by 125 miniature sculptures by the American artist Jeff Koons. - AFP
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Belgian Paul Van Hoeydonck, first artist on the moon, dies aged 99
The Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck, best known for being the first artist to have his work on the moon, has died aged 99. His family announced the news in a post on Facebook on Saturday. 'Fallen Astronaut' was an 8.5 centimetre aluminium sculpture made to represent both astronauts and cosmonauts who died in the race between the United States and the Soviet Union to explore space. The stylised figure was made to be light, solid and able to resist the extreme temperature variations of the Moon's surface. The work can be found at Hadley Rille on the lunar surface. It was placed by David Scott, on 1 August 1971 alongside a commemorative plaque with the names of eight US astronauts and six Soviet cosmonauts. For decades 'Fallen Astronaut' had pride of place as the first and only artwork on the moon but in February last year it had to share the honour joined by 125 mini-sculptures made by the American artist Jeff Koons. Paul Van Hoeydonck, born on 8 October 1925 in Anvers, was a prolific artist who also produced paintings, drawings and collages.
Euronews
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Belgian Paul Van Hoeydonck, first artist on the moon, dies aged 99
ADVERTISEMENT The Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck, best known for being the first artist to have his work on the moon, has died aged 99. His family announced the news in a post on Facebook on Saturday. 'Fallen Astronaut' was an 8.5 centimetre aluminium sculpture made to represent both astronauts and cosmonauts who died in the race between the United States and the Soviet Union to explore space. Paul Van Hoeydonck's 'Fallen Astronaut' was the first artwork, other than the US flag, on the moon. NASA The stylised figure was made to be light, solid and able to resist the extreme temperature variations of the Moon's surface. The work can be found at Hadley Rille on the lunar surface. The two Apollo 15 astronauts gather lunar samples. David R. Scott, commander, is on the left; lunar module pilot James B. Irwin is on the right. AP Photo/NASA It was placed by David Scott, on 1 August 1971 alongside a commemorative plaque with the names of eight US astronauts and six Soviet cosmonauts. For decades 'Fallen Astronaut' had pride of place as the first and only artwork on the moon but in February last year it had to share the honour joined by 125 mini-sculptures made by the American artist Jeff Koons . Paul Van Hoeydonck, born on 8 October 1925 in Anvers, was a prolific artist who also produced paintings, drawings and collages.
