Fallen Astronaut
August 2nd, 1971; the crew of Apollo 15, Commander David Scott and Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin were finished their three days on the Moon, and 18½ hours outside the spacecraft on lunar extra-vehicular activity (EVA) near Mare Imbrium called Palus Putredinus. Meanwhile Alfred M. Worden continued his lunar orbits high above in the Command Service Module Endeavour.
Unknown to NASA and Mission Control, a small aluminum sculpture called "Fallen Astronaut" was placed on the Moon next to the lunar rover at the end of EVA 3, along with a small plaque bearing the names of 14 American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts.
Unknown at the time, two of the original selection of 20 cosmonauts had also died before Apollo 15: Valentin Bondarenko in a fire during training in March 1961 and Grigori Nelyubov in a train accident - February 1966.
Unfortunately, their names were not included on the plaque. The memorial was left while the television camera was turned off. Only Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin knew what Scott was doing at the time. Scott told mission control he was doing some cleanup activities around the rover so they wouldn't have a clue as to what he was up to…
The names on the plaque are:
Charles A. Bassett II
Pavel I. Belyayev
Roger B. Chaffee
Theodore C. Freeman
Yuri A. Gagarin
Edward G. Givens Jr.
Virgil I. Grissom
Vladimir M. Komarov
Viktor I. Patsayev
Clifton C. Williams Jr.
Georgiy T. Dobrovolsky
Elliot M. See Jr.
Vladislav N. Volkov
Edward H. White II
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Perhaps the saddest thing about those who insist the moon landings were faked, is not the denial of mankind greatest scientific achievement, but more in denying the respect and honour deserved by those who gave everything, so that we could lay our footprints in the heavens...Godspeed to all the crews lost in our planet's space programs.
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God bless those who opened
Heavens Door and those who made it possible
One small step for man a Giant leap for Mankind….
The tiny (3.5-inch) humanoid aluminum sculpture forever left with the plaque (see pic) was created by Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck.
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/movie/the-fallen-astronaut/id1506184013?mt=6&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
They landed on the moon on my 21st birthday what a birthday present that was and will never forget. May those no longer with us American, Russian and any other nations that lost astronauts R.I.P.
I have never doubted we went to the moon! One of the greatest accomplishments man has ever done.
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