Man in the Moon’s Right Eye Has Fallen Astronauts Plaque and Sculpture

Summary: The Man in the Moon’s right eye has the Fallen Astronauts plaque and sculpture left Monday, Aug. 2, 1971, by Apollo 15 Mission Commander David Scott.

Carrying a 70 mm camera with a 500-mm lens, Apollo 15 Mission Commander David Randolph “Dave” Scott walks away from Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) during third and last extravehicular activity (EVA) on lunar surface; image taken by Apollo 15’s lunar module pilot, James Benson “Jim” Irwin: NASA, Public Domain, via NASA Human Space Flight

The Man in the Moon’s right eye has the Fallen Astronauts plaque and sculpture that Apollo 15 Mission Commander David Randolph “Dave” Scott (born June 6, 1932) placed Monday, Aug. 2, 1971, at around 13:17 Coordinated Universal Time (9:17 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time).

The Fallen Astronauts plaque and sculpture reside at a memorable lunar feature. The Mare Imbrium contributes to the pareidolic (Ancient Greek: παρα, para, “concurrent, alongside” + εἴδωλον, eídōlon, “image”) illusion of a human face, formed by the play of light and shadow across the lunar surface for moongazers in the Northern Hemisphere.

Looking outward from the moon, Mare Imbrium represents the Man in the Moon’s right eye. A straight-on view from Earth's perspective places Mare Imbrium in the Man in the Moon’s left eye.

The plaque commemorates 14 astronauts. Eight were NASA astronauts: Charles Bassett II, Roger Chaffee, Theodore Freeman, Edward Givens Jr., Virgil Grisson, Elliot See Jr., Edward White II, Clifton Williams Jr. Six were Soviet cosmonauts: Georgiy Dobrovolsky, Pavel Belyayev, Yuri Gagarin, Vladimir Komarov, Viktor Patsayev, Vladislav Volkov.

All except one of the 14 died in space-related accidents. Only Pavel Ivanovich Belyayev (June 26, 1925-Jan. 10, 1970) died from the natural cause of peritonitis after a stomach ulcer operation.

The age range was 31 to 44. The youngest was Roger Bruce Chaffee (Feb. 15, 1935-Jan. 27, 1967). The oldest was Pavel Belyayev.

Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck (born Oct. 8, 1925) created the Fallen Astronaut sculpture. The 3.375-inch (8.5-centimeter) aluminum sculpture is a stylized statuette. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. displays a replica of the Fallen Astronauts sculpture in the Space Race exhibition.

Commander Scott’s placement of the Fallen Astronauts plaque and sculpture occurred near the end of the Apollo 15 mission’s third and final extravehicular activity (EVA). EVA-3 began at 4:52:14 a.m. EDT (8:52:14 UTC; 163:18:14 mission time). EVA-3 ended 4 hours 49 minutes 50 seconds later, at 9:42:04 a.m. EDT (13:42:04 UTC; 168:08:04 mission time).

At 9:15:30 a.m. EDT (13:15:30 UTC; 167:41:30 mission time), Commander Scott initiated a “standby” with Joseph Percival “Joe” Allen (born June 27, 1937), Apollo 15’s capsule communicator (CAPCOM) at the mission control center in Houston, Texas. Commander Scott ostensibly was preparing for the checklist procedure of aligning the High-Gain Antenna on the Lunar Communications Relay Unit (LRCU). Stops at EVA stations necessitated alignment of the High-Gain Antenna with Earth in order to patch through voice communication as well as live video from the Ground-Commanded Television Assembly (GCTA).

In actuality, Commander Scott was placing and photographing the Fallen Astronauts plaque and sculpture which had unofficially journeyed with him from Earth. He intended to leave the two items as a memorial on the lunar surface, on the other side of the parked Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV).

At 9:16:15 a.m. EDT (13:16:15 UTC; 167:42:15 mission time), Joe Allen asked Dave Scott to check the TV Remote.

Responding 35 seconds later, at 9:16:50 a.m. EDT (13:16:50 UTC: 167:42:50 mission time), Dave asked for a “sec.”

Joe waited 40 seconds. Then at 9:16:55 a.m. EDT (13:16:55 UTC; 167:42:50 mission time), he requested an update on Dave’s “present activity.”

Six seconds later, at 9:17:01 a.m. EDT (13:17:01 UTC; 167:43:36 mission time), Dave explained that he was doing a little cleanup of the back of the Land Roving Vehicle (LRV).

Four seconds later, at 9:17:05 a.m. EDT (13:17:05 UTC; 167:43:40 mission time), Joe reminded Dave about the lack of TV feed and made another request for a TV Remote check.

Dave responded 14 seconds later, at 9:17:19 a.m. EDT (13:17:19 UTC; 167:43:54 mission time). He mentioned difficulties in viewing Earth in the sighting scope.

Commander Scott’s pause to situate and photograph the Fallen Astronauts plaque and sculpture in lunar soil lasted for 3 minutes 14 seconds.

At 9:18:44 a.m. EDT (13:18:44 UTC; 167:44:44 mission time), Commander Scott informed CAPCOM Allen that he was “back.” With his unofficial memorial project completed, he focused on initiating feed for observers on Earth. At 9:20:42 a.m. EDT (13:20:42 UTC; 167:46:42 mission time), he announced achievement of alignment. Scott’s cycling the Lunar Communications Relay Unit switch, beginning at 9:21:14 a.m. EDT (13:21:14 UTC; 167:47:14 mission time), led to Allen’s confirmation of a successful feed. The image transmitted to Earth showed the U.S. flag decal affixed to the Land Roving Vehicle’s right front fender.

The takeaway for the Man in the Moon’s right eye as the site of the Fallen Astronauts plaque and sculpture is the memorial’s easily remembered location.

closeup of Fallen Astronauts plaque and sculpture; image taken by Commander Scott after placement, Monday, Aug. 2, 1971, at about 13:17 Coordinated Universal Time (9:17 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time): NASA, Public Domain, via NASA Human Space Flight

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Carrying a 70 mm camera with a 500-mm lens, Apollo 15 Mission Commander David Randolph “Dave” Scott walks away from Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) during third and last extravehicular activity (EVA) on lunar surface; image taken by Apollo 15’s lunar module pilot, James Benson “Jim” Irwin: NASA, Public Domain, via NASA Human Space Flight @ https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/apollo/apollo15/html/as15-82-11168.html

closeup of Fallen Astronauts plaque and sculpture; image taken by Commander Scott after placement, Monday, Aug. 2, 1971, at about 13:17 Coordinated Universal Time (9:17 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time): NASA, Public Domain, via NASA Human Space Flight @ https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/apollo/apollo15/html/as15-88-11894.html

For further information:

“Apollo 15.” NASA > Missions > Apollo > The Apollo Missions. July 8, 2009.
Available @ https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo15.html

“Apollo 15 Mission.” Universities Space Research Association (USRA) Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) > Lunar Science and Exploration > Lunar Mission Summaries > Apollo Missions.
Available @ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/apollo/apollo_15/overview/

“Apollo Imagery: (2 August 1971).” NASA Human Space Flight > Gallery > Images > Apollo > Apollo 15. Aug. 2, 1971. Last updated Nov. 1, 2012.
Available @ https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/apollo/apollo15/html/as15-82-11168.html

“Apollo Imagery: AS15-88-11894 (31 July-2 Aug. 1971).” NASA Human Space Flight > Gallery > Images > Apollo > Apollo 15. Aug. 2, 1971. Last updated Nov. 1, 2012.
Available @ https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/apollo/apollo15/html/as15-88-11894.html

“AS15-88-11894.” NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) > Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.
Available @ https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/SearchPhotos/photo.pl?mission=AS15&roll=88&frame=11894

Ezell, Linda Neuman. “Table 2-43: Apollo 15 Characteristics.” NASA Historical Data Book. Volume III: Programs and Projects 1969-1978. The NASA History Series. Washington DC: NASA History Office, 1988.
Available @ http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4012/vol3/table2.43.htm

Jones, Eric M. “Apollo 15 Map and Image Library.” NASA > Apollo Lunar Surface Journal > Apollo 15 Lunar Surface Journal > Image Library. Last revised Nov. 23, 2016.
Available @ https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a15/images15.html#11164

Jones, Eric M. “The Hammer and the Feather.” NASA > Apollo Lunar Surface Journal > Apollo 15 Lunar Surface Journal. Last revised April 19, 2015.
Available @ https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a15/a15.html

“Lunar Rover Programmed to Return Colour-TV Pictures.” New Scientist and Science Journal, vol. 51, no. 762 (July 29, 1971): 261.

Marriner, Derdriu. “Fallen Astronauts Plaque and Sculpture at Southeastern Mare Imbrium.” Wednesday, July 27, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/07/fallen-astronauts-plaque-and-sculpture.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Six Lunar Maria Shape the Man in the Moon for Northern Hemisphere Viewers.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, May 3, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/05/six-lunar-maria-shape-man-in-moon-for.html

National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Apollo 15 Mission Report. Houston TX: Manned Spacecraft Center, December 1971.
Available @ https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a15/a15mrp1.pdf

Project Apollo Archive. "AS15-88-11893." Flickr. Sept. 23, 2015.
Available @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/projectapolloarchive/21471938068

Scott, David; Alexei Leonov. Two Sides of the Moon: Our Story of the Cold War Space Race. New York NY: Thomas Dunne Books, 2004.

“Sculpture, Fallen Astronaut.” Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum > Collection Objects.
Available @ https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/sculpture-fallen-astronaut?object=nasm_A19860035000

Young, Anthony. Lunar and Planetary Rovers: The Wheels of Apollo and the Quest for Mars. Springer-Praxis Books in Space Exploration. Berlin, Heidelberg, Germany; New York NY: Springer, 2007.

Fallen Astronauts Plaque and Sculpture at Southeastern Mare Imbrium

Summary: On Aug. 2, 1971, Apollo 15 Commander Scott and lunar module pilot Irwin left the Fallen Astronauts plaque and sculpture at southeastern Mare Imbrium.

closeup of plaque and sculpture, commemorating 14 deceased NASA astronauts and USSR cosmonauts, placed in lunar soil by Apollo 15 Commander “Dave” Scott and “Falcon” lunar module pilot “Jim” Irwin, Monday, Aug. 2, 1971: NASA, Public Domain, via NASA Spaceflight

Moongazers may remember that Aug. 2, 2016, marks the 45th anniversary of the placing of the Fallen Astronauts plaque and sculpture at southeastern Mare Imbrium by Apollo 15 Commander David Scott and lunar module pilot James Irwin.

On Monday, July 26, 1971, Apollo 15 was launched at 9:34 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (13:24 Coordinated Universal Time) from Kennedy Space Center at Merritt Island, east central Florida, as NASA's ninth manned mission to the moon. On Friday, July 30, 1971, after undocking at 18:13:16 UTC (2:13 p.m. EDT) from Command and Service Module (CSM) Endeavour, the Lunar Module (LM), named Falcon, descended to the lunar surface. At 22:16:29 UTC (6:16 p.m. EDT), LM Falcon touched down in the Hadley-Appenine region at the southeastern edge of Mare Imbrium on the near side of the moon.

The Hadley-Appenine region lies west of the rugged Montes Apenninus and east of the Hadley Rille, a sinuous channel-like depression. LM Falcon's landing site was on a dark mare, or lava-flooded plain, named Palus Putredinis (“Marsh of Decay”).

The third and last of three extravehicular activities (EVAs) took place Monday, Aug. 2, the Apollo 15 mission's third and last day on the lunar surface. EVA 3 took place northwest of the landing site, at the edge of Hadley Rille.

EVA 3 began at 8:52:14 UTC (4:52 a.m. EDT) and ended at 13:42:04 UTC (9:42 a.m. EDT). EVA 3's duration spanned 4 hours 49 minutes 50 seconds.

Before returning to LM Falcon via the rover, Commander David Randolph “Dave” Scott (born June 6, 1932) and LM Falcon pilot James Benson “Jim” Irwin (March 17, 1930-Aug. 8, 1991) placed a commemorative plaque listing 14 deceased astronauts. The Fallen Astronaut plaque is formatted as an alphabetical listing of eight NASA astronauts and six Soviet cosmonauts.

At around 13:17:36 UTC (9:17 a.m. EDT), Commander Scott placed a 3.375-inch (8.5-centimeter) aluminum statuette in front of the plaque. In accordance with Commander Scott's design specifications, Belgian painter and printmaker Paul Van Hoeydonck (born Oct. 8, 1925) had created the stylized statuette specifically for the lunar tribute.

Before leaving the site, Commander Scott photographed the Fallen Astronaut plaque and sculpture in the lunar soil.

The plaque comprises an alphabetical listing of the Fallen Astronauts. The plaque honors eight NASA astronauts:
Charles Arthur “Charlie” Bassett II (Dec. 30, 1931-Feb. 28, 1966);
Roger Bruce Chaffee (Feb. 15, 1935-Jan. 27, 1967);
Theodore Cordy “Ted” Freeman (Feb. 18, 1930-Oct. 31, 1964);
Edward Galen “Ed” Givens, Jr. (Jan. 5, 1930-June 6, 1967);
Virgil Ivan “Gus” Grisson (April 3, 1926-Jan. 27, 1967);
Elliot McKay See Jr. (July 23, 1927-Feb. 28, 1966);
Edward Higgins “Ed” White II (Nov. 14, 1930-Jan. 27, 1967);
Clifton Curtis “C.C.” Williams Jr. (Sept. 26, 1932-Oct. 5, 1967).

The plaque honors six Soviet cosmonauts:
Pavel Ivanovich Belyayev (June 26, 1925-Jan. 10, 1970);
Georgiy Timofeyevich Dobrovolsky (June 1, 1928-June 30, 1971);
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (March 9, 1934-March 27, 1968);
Vladimir Mikhaylovich Komarov (March 16, 1927-April 24, 1967);
Viktor Ivanovich Patsayev (June 19, 1933-June 30, 1971);
Vladislav Nikolayevich Volkov (Nov. 23, 1935-June 30, 1971).

The Fallen Astronaut plaque and sculpture are sited on the edge of the Mare Imbrium, a vast basaltic lava plain in the northwestern hemisphere of the near side of the moon. Mare Imbrium ("Sea of Showers") is a lunar feature that is visible to unaided eyes on Earth. The darkened feature, which lies, from a moon-based perspective, on the right side of the lunar disk is familiar to moongazers in the Northern Hemisphere as the Man in the Moon's right eye.

The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. houses a replica of the Fallen Astronaut statuette. The donation by artist Paul van Hoeydonck reminds viewers of the first and only artwork placed on the moon.

The takeaway for the Fallen Astronauts plaque and sculpture at southeastern Mare Imbrium is that the Man in the Moon's right eye hosts the resting place of the Fallen Astronauts plaque and sculpture.

Mare Imbrium, site of Fallen Astronaut plaque and sculpture, serves as the Man in the Moon's right eye, from moon-based perspective, or left eye, from Earth-based perspective; Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015, 16:13: Bard Anton Zajac, CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

closeup of plaque and sculpture, commemorating 14 deceased NASA astronauts and USSR cosmonauts, placed in lunar soil by Apollo 15 Commander “Dave” Scott and LM (Lunar Module) Falcon pilot “Jim” Irwin, Sunday, Aug. 1, 1971: NASA, Public Domain, via NASA Spaceflight @ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/apollo/apollo15/html/as15-88-11894.html

Mare Imbrium, site of Fallen Astronaut plaque and sculpture, serves as the Man in the Moon's right eye, from moon-based perspective, or left eye, from Earth-based perspective; Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015, 16:13: Bard Anton Zajac, CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Man_in_the_Moon_-_24_Dec_2015_-_original.jpg

For further information:

“Apollo 15 Mission.” USRA Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) > Lunar Science and Exploration Portal > Lunar Mission Summaries > Apollo 15 Mission > Landing Site.
Available @ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/apollo/apollo_15/landing_site/

“Apollo Imagery.” NASA Human Spaceflight > Gallery > Images > Apollo > Apollo 15.
Available @ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/apollo/apollo15/html/as15-88-11894.html

Eveleth, Rose. “There Is a Sculpture on the Moon Commemorating Fallen Astronauts.” Smithsonian Magazine > Smart News. Jan. 7, 2013.
Available @ http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/there-is-a-sculpture-on-the-moon-commemorating-fallen-astronauts-358909/?no-ist

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Available @ http://www.eyesonthesky.com/moon

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Available @ https://www.nasa.gov/feature/fallen-astronauts-honored-on-day-of-remembrance

Jones, Eric M. “Mission Summary: Mountains of the Moon.” NASA > Apollo Lunar Surface Journal > Apollo 15 Lunar Surface Journal > Mission Summary. Last revised Nov. 6, 2012.
Available @ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a15/a15.summary.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “June 2016's Waning Gibbous Moon Shows Mare Imbrium in Lunar Southwest.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, June 22, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/06/june-2016s-waning-gibbous-moon-shows.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “May 2016's Waning Gibbous Moon Shows Dark Mare Imbrium.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, May 25, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/05/may-2016s-waning-gibbous-moon-shows.html

Powell, Corey S.; Laurie Gwen Shapiro. “The Sculpture on the Moon.” Slate > Science > The State of the Universe. Dec. 16, 2013.
Available @ http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/12/sculpture_on_the_moon_paul_van_hoeydonck_s_fallen_astronaut.html

Scott, David; Alexei Leonov. Two Sides of the Moon: Our Story of the Cold War Space Race. New York NY: Thomas Dunne Books, 2004.

“Sculpture, Fallen Astronaut.” Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum > Collection Objects.
Available @ https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/sculpture-fallen-astronaut?object=nasm_A19860035000