1. Alan Bean My Brother Jim Irwin $0.00
Jim Irwin was assigned as my back up for Apollo 12. He knew his job extremely well. I knew that if anything happened to me at the last minute, Jim would do an excellent job on our mission and fit right in with Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon.
It was easy to like Jim, he had a personality that suggested you could have a lot of confidence in him. He wasnt an individual that tried to convince you that what he was doing was right or what you were doing was wrong. It was more like he wanted to work with you and find the best way to do something together.
He flew a wonderful flight on Apollo 15 in July, 1971. He and Dave Scott were on the moon for three days, in what I felt was the greatest mission of Apollo up to that point. Not only because theirs was the first extended lunar scientific expedition, but because of their skill. Dave Scott and Jim Irwin both worked extremely hard and displayed some heart irregularities. It was only after they got back that they discovered the extent of NASAs concern for them and worry that this situation may have caused some permanent damage.
After all the post-flight activities were complete, Jim left NASA and founded High Flight, an interdenominational evangelical organization devoted to spreading his word, his witnessing, his experience to other people. Jim described being on the moon as a deeply spiritual experience. Less than two years later, Jim experienced the first of several serious heart attacks. He felt that his physical efforts on the moon, combined with the way the human body eliminates excessive potassium and other minerals in zero gravity, had damaged his heart. He died of a heart attack in 1991 at the age of sixty-one.
We used to see each other at astronaut reunions or accidentally in airports from time to time, and when we parted company, he would put his arm around me and say, “Well I hope to see you again soon, brother.” It was a surprise the first time as that isnt the way one astronaut talks to another and I didnt know what to say. After this happened a few times, I wanted to reply because I felt very close to him but I just couldnt make myself say those words. Since I left the space program and became an artist, I think differently about myself and my life. I miss Jim a lot and I understand how I miss him and respect him as the brother I never had.
2. Alan Bean First Men Edwin E. Buzz Aldrin $0.00
Alan Bean's First Men: Edwin E. 'Buzz' Aldrin, the companion work to First Men: Neil A. Armstrong, is now available. Armstrong's iconic photo of Aldrin is arguably the most recognized picture ever taken, but beyond some grainy television images and a great shot of his foot, there are no really good photographs of Neil Armstrong on the Moon.
Bean conceived this set, First Men, to remedy that. He chose the moment on July 20, 1969 when Armstrong took Aldrin's picture as the setting. Aficionados have long recognized that Neil can actually be seen as a reflection in Buzz's helmet. A series of calculations from that enabled Bean to replicate Armstrong's positioning exactly when he created First Men: Neil A. Armstrong.
Bean's First Men: Edwin E. 'Buzz' Aldrin is so much more than a photograph.
The tools Alan Bean used to explore the Moon now help him to put the Moon's stamp on each painting he creates. Exact replicas of his Moon boots are used to make footprints across the painting's surface, reminiscent of the Apollo boot prints remaining on the Moon today. Streaks etched on the painting's surface are from the same geology hammer he used on the Apollo 12 mission. Finally, a sharp edged bit from one of the core tubes is used to make the circular indentations in the surface. All are captured in stunning detail in each edition.
If you already have the first canvas or paper edition of First Men: Neil Armstrong, you can now complete your set with First Men: Edwin E. 'Buzz' Aldrin. Remember, there were only 75 Armstrong canvases and the same number of 75 Aldrin canvases has been created. If you can't make a matching pair of the canvases, you can still do so with the Giclee paper editions. Most importantly, each edition is a historic document signed by the artist Apollo 12 astronaut Captain Alan Bean. They are a wonderful set and a unique record of that exciting time in history.
I guess every astronaut wanted to be the first man on the Moon. I know I did. And if we couldn't be the first, we at least wanted to be one of the first. Apollo 11's crew got the opportunity to make the first attempt. Neil, Buzz and Mike flew a perfect flight and went into the history books; but all 400,000 Americans that helped make Apollo a success are in that history, too.
3. Alan Bean First Men Edwin E. Buzz Aldrin MASTERWORK EDITION $2250.00
Alan Bean's First Men: Edwin E. 'Buzz' Aldrin, the companion work to First Men: Neil A. Armstrong, is now available. Armstrong's iconic photo of Aldrin is arguably the most recognized picture ever taken, but beyond some grainy television images and a great shot of his foot, there are no really good photographs of Neil Armstrong on the Moon.
Bean conceived this set, First Men, to remedy that. He chose the moment on July 20, 1969 when Armstrong took Aldrin's picture as the setting. Aficionados have long recognized that Neil can actually be seen as a reflection in Buzz's helmet. A series of calculations from that enabled Bean to replicate Armstrong's positioning exactly when he created First Men: Neil A. Armstrong.
Bean's First Men: Edwin E. 'Buzz' Aldrin is so much more than a photograph.
The tools Alan Bean used to explore the Moon now help him to put the Moon's stamp on each painting he creates. Exact replicas of his Moon boots are used to make footprints across the painting's surface, reminiscent of the Apollo boot prints remaining on the Moon today. Streaks etched on the painting's surface are from the same geology hammer he used on the Apollo 12 mission. Finally, a sharp edged bit from one of the core tubes is used to make the circular indentations in the surface. All are captured in stunning detail in each edition.
If you already have the first canvas or paper edition of First Men: Neil Armstrong, you can now complete your set with First Men: Edwin E. 'Buzz' Aldrin. Remember, there were only 75 Armstrong canvases and the same number of 75 Aldrin canvases has been created. If you can't make a matching pair of the canvases, you can still do so with the Giclee paper editions. Most importantly, each edition is a historic document signed by the artist, Apollo 12 astronaut Captain Alan Bean. They are a wonderful set and a unique record of that exciting time in history.
I guess every astronaut wanted to be the first man on the Moon. I know I did. And if we couldn't be the first, we at least wanted to be one of the first. Apollo 11's crew got the opportunity to make the first attempt. Neil, Buzz and Mike flew a perfect flight and went into the history books; but all 400,000 Americans that helped make Apollo a success are in that history, too.
4. Alan Bean Fast Times on the Ocean of Storms $0.00
“I painted myself almost flying over the surface of the moon,” says artist Alan Bean. “Running on the moon isnt like running on earth, mostly because the pull of gravity is only one-sixth of what we feel down here. I was light on my feet, much as I expected. When I pushed off with one foot, there was a long pause before I landed on the other foot, like running in slow motion. I could feel my leg muscles completely relax as I glided along to the next stop. I seemed to float just above the surface.
I vividly recall one instance as I was running near a large crater. I felt I must look like a gazelle, leaping long distances with each bound. I looked over at my partner, Apollo 12 Commander Pete Conrad, as he ran nearby. His leaps were graceful and he was space-borne for a long time but, to my surprise, he wasnt rising very high or leaping far at all. Then I realized that in the moons light gravity, we did not have the traction to push hard backwards with our boots. I wasnt leaping like a gazelle―it only felt that way.
Running on the Ocean of Storms was relatively easy and a whole lot of fun. I was always in a hurry to get to the next exploration site because, like many things in life, there was so much to do and so little time to do it.”
5. Alan Bean Apollo Moonscape An Explorer Artists Vision $0.00
The Moon was a stark and otherworldly placeDgray soil, gray rocks and black sky as far as you can see, explains Alan Bean on Apollo Moonscape. When I first began painting the Moon, I painted it exactly as I remembered it as an astronaut, much the way it looks in the photographs. But a literal record of this black-and-white world doesnt communicate what it felt like to be and work there. To the astronaut-engineer-scientist in me, the paintings looked correct. But they didnt completely satisfy the explorer artist in me, the part that loves color and impressionist paintings.
Over the years, I noticed that the paintings that I find most interesting depict nature in more beautiful hues, and with more color variety, than I can see in the world around me. I decided to make a series of color studies inspired by Monet. These paintings were done over several years in an attempt to find the limits of colors that could be used to realistically portray the Moon. I chose a photo of Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan at work in the Taurus-Littrow region as my scene.
A number of these paintings, particularly the greenish-gray one which was the first, have about four or five other paintings under them which I did as I tried to develop the color scheme. I tried to show the heat of the Moon, the feeling of the sun, so I painted one that looks more reddish to suggest the heat. I began to use violets in the craters and the dirt to make it quite beautiful instead of just gray. The other two paintings are a little more advanced and continue towards my work today. I think my role as an artist is not to duplicate nature but to interpret it in ways that are beautiful and important to the artist and, hopefully, to other people.
The four paintings assembled into a single presentation give Alan Beans Apollo Moonscape, An Explorer Artists Vision a Pop Art feel while presenting a wonderfully graphic example of the artists visual journey. Youll have your choice of either a fine art canvas (below) or paper gicle (above) of the work, each signed by Apollo 12 astronaut, moonwalker and explorer Alan Bean. Own your own piece of art history, the first paintings of another world by an artist who was actually there!
6. Alan Bean Apollo Moonscape An Explorer Artists Vision MASTERWORK EDITION $0.00
""The Moon was a stark and otherworldly place"Dgray soil, gray rocks and black sky as far as you can see,"" explains Alan Bean on Apollo Moonscape. ""When I first began painting the Moon, I painted it exactly as I remembered it as an astronaut, much the way it looks in the photographs. But a literal record of this black-and-white world doesn""t communicate what it felt like to be and work there. To the astronaut-engineer-scientist in me, the paintings looked correct. But they didn""t completely satisfy the explorer artist in me, the part that loves color and impressionist paintings.
""Over the years, I noticed that the paintings that I find most interesting depict nature in more beautiful hues, and with more color variety, than I can see in the world around me. I decided to make a series of color studies inspired by Monet. These paintings were done over several years in an attempt to find the limits of colors that could be used to realistically portray the Moon. I chose a photo of Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan at work in the Taurus-Littrow region as my scene.
""A number of these paintings, particularly the greenish-gray one which was the first, have about four or five other paintings under them which I did as I tried to develop the color scheme. I tried to show the heat of the Moon, the feeling of the sun, so I painted one that looks more reddish to suggest the heat. I began to use violets in the craters and the dirt to make it quite beautiful instead of just gray. The other two paintings are a little more advanced and continue towards my work today. I think my role as an artist is not to duplicate nature but to interpret it in ways that are beautiful and important to the artist and, hopefully, to other people.""
The four paintings assembled into a single presentation give Alan Bean"`s Apollo Moonscape, An Explorer Artist"`s Vision a Pop Art feel while presenting a wonderfully graphic example of the artist"`s visual journey. You""ll have your choice of either a fine art canvas (below) or paper gicl""e (above) of the work, each signed by Apollo 12 astronaut, moonwalker and explorer Alan Bean. Own your own piece of art history, the first paintings of another world by an artist who was actually there!
7. Alan Bean Lunar Grand Prix $0.00
“Apollo 16 Commander John Young is putting the lunar rover through a full test,” says artist Alan Bean about Lunar Grand Prix. “This was the second Apollo mission with the rover onboard and the goal was to allow Young to evaluate the performance of the Rover in the light gravity on the dusty, cratered and rock surface of the Moon.”
John Young later said, “The tendency was to drive wide open or very close to that and take what you got. The best reference to speed control was the speedometer as I really didnt have a feel for the difference between 7 and 10 kilometers per hour.” Later in the test, Young demonstrated a sharp turn at max speed, about 10 kilometers-per-hour. “I made the Rover end break out to show the engineers how it looked. It was no problem as all I had to do was cut back like I do when driving in snow . . . I didnt get up to any great speed, maybe 10 clicks at the most, but the terrain around there was too rough and rocky for that kind of foolishness . . . .”
His companion, Astronaut Charlie Duke, filmed the scene with the 16mm data acquisition camera normally mounted on the Rover, but hand-held temporarily to document this drive. He told Houston at the time, “. . . man, Indy has never seen a driver like this.”
8. Alan Bean Some Tools of Our Trade SMALLWORK EDITION ON $0.00
Apollo 16, launched on April 16, 1972, was the fifth mission to land on the moon the first to land in a highlands area. Commander John Young and Lunar Module Pilot Charles Duke spent almost three days on the moon and brought back 94.7 kg of lunar samples.
“I painted Astronaut John Young at work collecting samples,” says artist and Astronaut Alan Bean. “He had tools to dig, drive, hammer, rake, and drill; and bags to collect and identify each sample.”
Creating the suite of tools and containers for the moon samples was not as simple as it first seemed. Engineers had to worry about compromising future scientific analysis with contamination from the equipment. Also, space suit gloves were bulky, movement of the thumb and fingers were hard to coordinate, and there was almost no sense of touch. The specialized tools on Apollo 16 allowed the two astronauts to accomplish their mission. As Charlie Duke reported to Earth during his second extra-vehicular activity (EVA), “John and I found a use for every tool weve got.”
This SmallWorks Fine Art Edition is a finely-tuned gift for the space enthusiast, or a perfect complement to collectors of our 2010 release: John Young Leaps into History.
9. Alan Bean First Men Neil A. Armstrong Artist Proof $1500.00
The work of artist Alan Bean conveys the sense of space travel not only through subject and color but also texture. The tools that once helped him explore the moon, now help him put the moons stamp on many of his paintings. Prior to painting the image, Bean covers the paintings surface with a texturing material. He then uses exact replicas of his Moon boots to make footprints across this surface that are just like all the Apollo boot prints remaining on the moon today. Next he uses the same geology hammer he worked with on the Apollo 12 mission to dig into the paintings surface. Finally, a sharp edged bit from one of the core tubes is used to make round indentations in the surface.
“I guess every astronaut wanted to be the first man on the Moon. I know I did,” says Alan Bean. “And if we couldn't be the first, we at least wanted to be one of the first. Apollo 11s crew got the opportunity to make the first attempt. Neil, Buzz and Mike flew a perfect flight and went into the history books; but all 400,000 Americans that helped make Apollo a success are in that history, too.
“I think this painting is exactly how Astronaut Neil Armstrong looked as he took the now-iconic photo of his lunar companion, Buzz Aldrin,” says the artist. “It is the image we would see in Buzzs gold visor in my painting First Men"Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin"if we could look close enough.”
10. Alan Bean Beyond A Young Boys Dream $0.00
“When I was a boy, I dreamed of flying airplanes and I built models from balsa wood,” says artist Alan Bean. “By the time I was in high school, model airplanes of all shapes and sizes were hanging by thin wires from the ceiling of my room. Airplanes were the last things I would see before falling asleep at night. I dreamed of flying higher than the highest cloud and faster than the fastest wind. As I grew older, the dream grew stronger. It followed me as I completed flight training, became a jet pilot flying off aircraft carriers and when, as a test pilot and then as an astronaut, I trained to rocket to the Moon. And in my painting, as I look out over the ‘magnificent desolation’ of the lunar surface, youngsters on Earth are building model rockets, dreaming of flying higher than the Moon and faster than a shooting star.”
11. Alan Bean A New Frontier $0.00
The scientists on earth were concerned that the lunar samples we would be collecting on the Apollo missions could be tainted by our spacesuit gloves as we picked them up and stored them. They devised a small metal “Environmental Sample Container” and asked us to put small rocks and dirt in it using only our shovel. This allowed us to insure we never contacted that sample with our gloves and that it remained stored in the lunar environment, in pristine condition, until we got home.
Pete had practiced placing dirt and small rocks in The Environmental Sample Container on Earth with the small shovel, while I held it steady. It was a quick and easy task.
Of course, once we were on the lunar surface, in the reduced gravity, the whole exercise got far more complicated, and fun. Pete had no problem picking up some loose dirt and rocks. As he swung the end of the shovel towards me all went well, as well. But as he slowed the shovel down to carefully place the sample in The Container, the dirt did not slow down. It just seemed to float out of the shovel and slowly fly all over the place, me included. It was fun to watch objects, including dirt, move so slowly in one sixth gravity, and we were laughing at the mishap.
Pete moved the shovel, with dirt and rocks, much more slowly on his next attempt and he deposited it in the sample container you see in my right glove. I then carefully put on the lid you see dangling below. It was lined with indium, a malleable and easily fusible metal, so when I screwed on the cap it made a perfect seal.
When the scientist back on earth compared these samples with the ones we collected with our gloves they, and we, were elated. There was no difference.
12. Alan Bean John Young Leaps into History Limited Edition $0.00
“You feel this way when you're finally on the Moon!” says artist and Apollo 11 astronaut Alan Bean. “Its the culmination of all youve studied and worked for since you were a little kid.
“John has jumped straight up about 3 feet or so. On Earth, this would have been impossible because John weighs 160 pounds and the suit and the backpack weigh 150 pounds, but on the Moon everything (including John) weighed only one-sixth as much. Someday there will be athletic contests on the Moon, maybe even Solar System Olympics and many astonishing records will be set.”
Apollo 16, April 16-27, 1972, was Youngs fourth space flight but his first lunar exploration. Young was Spacecraft Commander accompanied by Astronauts Ken Mattingly and Charlie Duke. Young and Duke set up scientific equipment and explored the lunar highlands at Descartes in the Lunar Rover.
13. Alan Bean Is Anyone Out There Limited Edition Masterwork $0.00
Since we first walked erect, it has been a conviction of mankind that in some fashion, someone, something, has inhabited the heavens. The Space Race itself was as political as it was strategic, yet at its soul, what captured the hearts and minds of the world at large was the possibility of coming one step closer to answering the question stirring within us all for millennia “Is anyone out there?”
40 years ago, on November, 14, 1969, Lunar Module Pilot Alan Bean, with fellow Apollo 12 astronauts, Commander Charles “Pete” Conrad and Command Module Pilot Richard Gordon, left Earth for the Moon. Five days later on Nov. 19th, Bean stepped off the lunar module Intrepid and onto the Moons Ocean of Storms and became the fourth human to walk on another planet. Yet for all the training, for all the data, for all the simulations and discipline, one of the simplest and most human of questions came to his mind, “Is anyone out there?”
We did send an artist to the Moon and it is no small matter of pride that we are able to call him a member of The Greenwich WorkshopFamily of Artists. Alan Bean paints the Apollo missions from a perspective no other can: as one who has been there. His paintings were on display in a one-man exhibition at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. “Is Anyone Out There?” was a center piece of the exhibit and perhaps its most commented upon painting. We selected it to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Alan Beans lunar flight because it epitomizes that simple thought that took man to the Moon, “Is there anybody out there?”.
At 40” x 30”, the commemorative MasterWork® Fine Art Giclee Canvas is the largest reproduction we have offered of Alan Beans artwork. It is set at an edition of 69 to commemorate the year he set foot on the Moon. A Fine Art Paper GiclTe edition is set at 244 pieces, the duration, in hours, of the Apollo 12 mission from lift-off to landing. Both editions are personally signed by astronaut, moonwalker and the first artist on another world, Captain Alan Bean.
Too often, the opportunity to possess a piece of history passes us by. Going to the Moon will stand as one of mankinds greatest accomplishments: that first giant step into the heavens. Twelve men have gazed back the quarter-million miles to the Earth from the surface of Moon. And only Alan Bean, through his paintings of the Apollo program, can place us there beside him.
14. Alan Bean The Eagle is Headed Home $0.00
Lunar Module Eagle has just made the first lunar liftoff. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are ascending from Tranquility Base to transfer themselves and their treasure of moon rocks to the command module and head for home.
On the Apollo 12 mission, I recall looking out the window during lift-off and seeing a ring of bright orange, silver and black flashes of light expanding rapidly outward, glints from pieces of metal-foil insulation blasted from the descent stage by the ascent engine.
15. Alan Bean Painting Apollo First Artist on Another World COLLECTOR BOOK WITH $0.00
In the summer of 2010, the world celebrated the 40th Anniversary of mans first walk on the moon and your Greenwich Workshop Authorized Dealer has a room full of historic open and limited edition fine art at their fingertips for your gift giving and home or office display. Greenwich Workshop Artist and Apollo Astronaut Alan Bean was the subject of a one-man show at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum featuring forty of Beans original drawings and paintings from July 16, 2009 until January 13, 2010. Some of these Apollo inspired paintings are available in Fine Art Limited Editions, many with historic counter-signers in addition to Astronaut and Artist Alan Bean.
In July 2009, Smithsonian Books published Painting Apollo: First Artist on Another World, to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The Greenwich Workshop produced this very limited Collectors Edition diptych and signed, slipcased book. Artist Alan Beans diptych portrays Apollo 11s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as they erect and salute the American flag on the surface of the Moon. It is a moment that will live in history forever, and in the collective memories of the millions of people who saw it live on television. There was so much to celebrate! We, the United States of America, had won a very real race to show which country could land men on the Moon and return them safely to Earth. This amazing achievement demonstrated the collective will and capability of over 400,000 American men and women doing their jobs with care and precision.
COLLECTOR'S EDITION includes:
A Distant Celebration Diptych
Greenwich Workshop Fine Art GiclTe Canvases:
(above left:) Rendering Honors 13 x 16 initialed by artist
(above right:) Planting Our Colors 13 x 16 s/n
plus the slipcased book
Painting Apollo: First Artist on Another World
with contributors including renown art critic Donald Kuspit and NASA Flight Director Eugene Kranz.
Trim size: 11 x 10, 224 pgs, 107 paintings.
with a specially-designed tip-in sheet signed by the artist.
limited to 225 s/n.
16. Alan Bean HELLO UNIVERSE $995.00
“Here we are, humans of planet Earth, standing on our only moon. Getting there wasn’t easy; in fact, it took about four hundred thousand of us giving our best efforts. None could do it alone but together we found a way to achieve this seemingly impossible dream. When the time is right, we will be ready to continue our noble quest to expand humanity’s reach. Our children and our children’s children will have to continue the search, each succeeding generation moving a little farther out, discovering more answers and even greater questions. The Universe awaits our audacious human spirit. Be patientwe are coming.”
Countersigned by Eugene A. Cernan and Edgar D. Mitchell.
17. Alan Bean RIGHT STUFF FIELD GEOLOGISTS Limited Edition $0.00
The Apollo program was not only about getting to the moon and back, but making the best possible scientific observations once there. Do we take test pilots and teach them geology or do we take geologists and teach them to fly? was the question. The answer, in typical NASA fashion, was to create a team of both. This image of Apollo 17 Commander and skilled naval aviator Eugene A. Cernan handing yet another sample bag to Lunar Module Pilot and Doctor of Geology Harrison Jack Schmitt on the Taurus-Littrow Valley floor, represents the epitome of this exploration philosophy. On December 13, 1972, when Gene and Jack left the moon, they carried with them 240 pounds of lunar samples-more than any other mission could boast. Image size: 25 1/4w x 161/2h, published from the artist's original acrylic painting. 550 signed by the artist and consecutively numbered. Countersigned by Gene Cernan and Harrison Jack Schmitt.
18. Alan Bean LONE STAR $850.00
Some months after I had reported to the manned spacecraft center in Houston, Texas, I was given a silver astronaut pin to wear in my lapel. It was a shooting star with an orbit around its tail. I wore that pin proudly until November, 1969, when Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and I climbed into our Apollo XII spacecraft for our flight to the moon. I had my silver pin tucked safely in the left thigh pocket of my spacesuit and while it was still thre, I descended the lunar module ladder for my first steps on the Ocean of Storms.
Oh, so carefully, I removed my silver pin, took one last look at it and gave it my strongest underarm toss toward Surveyor. I can still remember how it flashed in the bright sunlight then disappeared in the distance. It was the only star I ever saw up in that black sky, the sunlight was just too bright on the moon's surface to see any of the others. I often think of my silver pin resting in the dust of the Surveyor Crater, just as bright and shiny as it ever was. It'll be there for millions and millions of years or until some tourist finds it and brings it back to Earth.
19. Alan Bean REACHING FOR THE STARS $2200.00
In his book Apollo: An Eyewitness Account, Alan Bean says of Reaching for the Stars, In one sense this is a painting of a universal astronaut, symbolizing everyone who flew in Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Apollo-Soyuz. It also represents those who fly on space shuttles and will fly on a space station and on future missions only dreamed about at this time. The astronaut is an emissary of us all, soaring away from our planet earth But in a broader view [Reaching for the Stars symbolizes] all of us who posses a dedicated and adventurous spirit no matter what our interests or age.
Countersigned by astronauts from the Mercury, Gemeni, Apollo, Skylab and Apollo-Soyluz programs.
20. Alan Bean CONRAD GORDON AND BEAN THE FANTASY $0.00
Pete Conrad, Dick Gordona nd I were assigned to make one of the first moon landings. The most experienced astronaut was designated commander, in charge of all aspects of the mission, including flying the lunar module. Prudent thinking suggested that the next-most-experience crew member be assigned to take care of the command module, since it was our only way back home. Pete had flown two Gemini flights, the second with Dick as his crewmate. This left the least experienced-me-to accompany the commander on the lunar surface.
I was the rookie. I had not flown at all; yet I got the prize assignment. But not once durng the three years of training which preceded our mission did Dick say that it wasn't fair and that he wished he could walk on the moon, too. I do not have his unwavering discipline or strength of character.
We often fantasized about Dick's joining us on the moon but we never found a way. In my paintings, though, I can have it my way. Now, at last, our best friend has come the last sixty miles.
Countersigned by astronauts Charles Conrad, Jr. and Richard F. Gordon, Jr.
21. Alan Bean Armstrong Heads Beyond the Boulders $0.00
Neil and Buzz were well below 2000 feet in their descent before Neil could study the landing area. "Pretty rocky area," Neil said. He knew that overflying the programmed landing area was going to add risk to an already risky enterprise. Were the landing conditions up ahead any better than right here? So Neil pitched upright to slow his descent and to get eagle moving faster beyond the boulder field. Even buzz seemed a bit surprised. The rest is history. With billions of humans 240,000 miles away back on planet earth holding their breath, Neil and Buzz touched down at tranquility base with only 42 seconds of fuel remaining.
22. Alan Bean The Source of Intelligent Life $0.00
In "The Source of Intelligent Life," Alan Beans signature style comes alive in this special Textured Canvas Fine Art Edition. As an artist, Bean conveys the sense of space travel not only through subject and color but also texture. As an astronaut and moonwalker, he can use the tools that once used to explore the Moon to help him put the Moons stamp in and on his art. Prior to painting the image, Bean covers the surface on which he will work with a texturing material. He then uses exact replicas of his Moon boots to make footprints across this surface to replicate the Apollo boot prints remaining on the moon today. Next he uses the same geology hammer he worked with on the Apollo 12 mission to dig into the paintings surface. Finally, a sharp edged bit from one of the core tubes is used to make round indentations in the surface. All of these come to amazing 3-dimensional life in this striking Fine Art Edition. With "The Source of Intelligent Life," Bean gives us a view that only an artist who has visited another world could have witnessed. “We can see Africas west coast to the right turning into the night. Many scientists believe that we are all, even those as far away as South America which is just coming over the western horizon, descendants of a single woman in Africa. Her descendants have journeyed far to make their homes. Ill bet during her probably brief, difficult and dangerous life, she looked up at the brightest light in the night sky and wondered what it was, never imagining that her children might visit there someday.” It going to be hard to believe that you havent purchased the original when you hang your Fine Art Textured Canvas of "The Source of Intelligent Life." The Greenwich Workshops reputation has been built on our exacting standards and this is as exacting a Fine Art Edition as possible. Each canvas is signed by legendary Apollo 12 astronaut, moonwalker and artist Captain Alan Bean, each a work of art, each a historic document, each your own personal connection to traveling in space. Own a Fine Art Textured Canvas by astronaut and explorer Alan Bean and you will never look at the Moon the same way again.
23. Alan Bean Our World at My Fingertips $0.00
0 "Looking up at the Earth, I moved into my spacecraft"s shadow to get a better view of our planet without squinting. Reaching up, I balance the Earth between my gloved thumb and forefinger. Our world, the whole Earth was safely cradled in my fingertips. At first, it may seem I"ve painted my right finger incorrectly, not pointing at the Earth. Not so. I have purposely painted it a little lower and to the right of the Earth due to the effect of the parallax. How small our Earth is in the infinite universe." Only from a moonwalker could such a point of view experience be related. Apollo enthusiasts will also note the details of Captain Bean"s LMP Cuff Checklist are clearly identifiable in this 24" x 17" Fine Art Giclée Canvas. A quick look at his watch and reference to the checklist will let you know what activity Alan was engaged in when he took a moment to take in this view. Each "Our World at My Fingertips" is signed by Alan Bean.
24. Alan Bean Home Sweet Home $0.00
Apollo astronaut and artist, Alan Bean, fourth man to walk on the moon, had a full career at NASA. When he retired in 1981 he knew that if any credible artistic impressions were to remain of the start of the space program for future generations, he needed to start painting them. "My decision to resign from NASA was based on the fact that I am fortunate enough to have seen sights no other artist ever has," Bean said, "and I hope to communicate these experiences through art." "Home Sweet Home" refers to his sentiments toward the lunar module as he looked at it from the outside, while standing on the Moon. "When Pete Conrad and I came down the ladder for our first walk on the Moon, all we had with us were the clothes (and backpacks) on our backs," says artist Alan Bean. "The lunar module seemed much bigger than I remembered from just four days earlier on the launch pad. Now it was a friendly home in a faraway world."
25. Alan Bean We Came in Peace for All Mankind $0.00
Apollo 15"s Dave Scott and Jim Irwin landed in the Hadley Rille Apennine mountain area of the Moon on July 30, 1971. They had a new and improved lunar module that allowed them to carry a lunar roving vehicle. They also wore the latest design in space suits and backpacks which allowed them to stay outside for longer periods. With these changes, they would dramatically increase the range of their surface explorations. "Jim Irwin was one of my favorite astronauts," relayed Alan Bean. "Something about him said quietly, ""You can count on me." Jim was, unexpectedly, more religious than most of us realized. I can remember when he and Dave were riding along on their rover near the end of their third EVA and Dave said, ""Oh, look at the mountains today, Jim. When they"re all sunlit isn"t that beautiful?" Jim answered, ""Really is, Dave. I"m reminded of a favorite Biblical passage from Psalms, ""I look unto the hills from whence cometh my help . . . ." But of course, we get quite a bit from Houston, too."" Jim would later say, "I was aware on the Moon that thousands of people on Earth were praying for the success of our mission. The hours I spent on the Moon were the most thrilling of my life. Not because I was there but because I could feel the presence of God. There were times I was filled with new challenges and help from God was immediate." Dave and Jim journeyed into space as test pilot astronauts and most of us returned the same way. But Jim changed outwardly. As he explained, "I returned determined to share with others that profound experience with God on the Moon and lift man into his highest flight of life." "We Came in Peace for All Mankind" is Alan Bean"s tribute to his good friend"s faith that man could only visit the heavens with the help of a higher power.
26. Alan Bean Way Way Up High Over Pad 39A $0.00
Well, here we are, seeing our first Earthrise ever! It is hard to believe Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and I are 235,189 miles from home. We had lifted off from launch complex 39, Pad A, Cape Kennedy, Florida in the middle of a violent thunderstorm, just three and one half days ago and there are at least two very excellent reasons why it does not seem possible we have come this far, this fast. The first excellent reason is that we were traveling at speeds that are difficult for most humans, including us, to really grasp. For example, after a brief eleven-minute rocket ride, we were in Earth orbit traveling at 17,431 miles per hour. That is about 290 times faster than the 60 miles per hour speed limit we drive our cars here on Earth. Pete, Dick and I had been navy test pilots and flew high performance aircraft at high mach numbers from time to time, but mostly we flew around at about 500 miles per hour or so. Now, that is nothing to complain about, yet it is only one thirty-fifth of our Earth orbital speed. But to fly to the Moon, we had to start up our launch rocket"s third stage again to add significant velocity. To be precise, we had to get going 6,719 miles per hour faster. This initial velocity, some 24,150 miles per hour, would allow us to coast to a point close enough to the Moon so the Moon"s gravity would become dominant and we would begin to fall towards the Moon rather than back to Earth. The second excellent reason is that there were no sign posts along the way. As we sped along, we did not zip past any cities, towns, clouds, other spaceships, or anything else, for that matter. Except for the first few hours after leaving Earth orbit, the Earth did not seem to move away or get smaller, and the Moon did not seem to move toward us or get larger. If we waited an hour or so and looked out again, the Earth would look smaller . . . maybe, and the Moon would look larger . . . maybe. What a view! To think everyone I ever knew, saw on television or at the super bowl, was down there on the skin of that beautiful, colorful sphere. It does not seem possible. There is just not enough room and folks on the bottom will surely fall off. I find it curious that I never heard any astronaut say that he wanted to go to the Moon so he would be able to look back and see the Earth. We all wanted to see what the Moon looked like close up. Yet, for most of us, the most memorable sight was not of the Moon, but of our beautiful blue and white home, moving majestically around the sun, all alone in infinite black space.
27. Alan Bean MOON ROVERS $0.00
Alan Bean says, "I"ve portrayed astronaut Jim Irwin doing what tourists do around the world: take snapshots of the wonderful and exotic places they visit. In this photograph he is immortalizing his partner, Apollo 15 Commander Dave Scott, proudly riding in their new car, the Lunar Rover." Alan captures a memorable moment during the 1971 lunar mission with the Falcon lunar module and a brilliantly blue Earth for a backdrop. The fourth man to walk upon the lunar surface, Bean can count himself among the fortunate few who have been "moon rovers.
28. Alan Bean Moonrock-Earthbound $0.00
Moonrock-Earthbound - Collecting moonrocks was more than just reaching down and grabbing pieces we happened to like. The first problem was knowing which rocks, of the many that can bee seen, are worth the time and energy to document, collect and return. But we learned a lot in the six years of geology training on earth prior to going to the moon. It wasn"t easy for hot, right-stuff test pilots to sit through the hours and hours of classroom geology lectures and laboratory demonstrations. We did, however, take right well to the field trips to Arizona, Oregon, Iceland, Hawaii and so forth, locations where the geology was thought to be similar to the moon. Field training was where we honed our skills. The first rock we were taught to select was one that looked most like all the other rocks in the area. The "typical" rock was photographed from two positions before we disturbed the ground. Picking up the rock was not simple, either. In this painting, John Young is using the long tweezer-like tongs at a site near where Apollo 16 landed. Charlie Duke is inspecting the rock, making specific comments to listeners on earth, then placing the rock in a numbered sample bag. This is a big day for the selected rock, as it has probably been sitting right here for at least 3 billion years, just waiting for some human being to single it out for a quick trip to planet earth.
29. Alan Bean Conquistadors $0.00
Conquistadors -Jim Irwin leads Dave Scott as they move about their work on the Moon. Dave observed: "As we advance, we are surrounded by stillness. No wind blows, no sound echoes. Only shadows move. I hear the reassuring purr of the miniaturized machines that supply vital oxygen and shield me from the blistering 250-degree-Fahrenheit surface heat of the lunar morning." The spacesuit appears bizarre and unworldly, but it contains a life-sustaining environment. Explorers throughout history have probably looked strange and unreal to the natives of the new lands they visited. But we were different. There were no natives and enclosed in our spacesuits we looked like creatures from other planets to our friends and family. Like them, we came in ships. Theirs were of wood, powered by wind and sail . . . ours were made of advanced metals and plastics and were moved by rocket engine. We both used the best technology of our age. But here the similarity ended. Conquistadors came to claim lands and gold and precious gems for their King or Queen. We came fro knowledge and understanding. A few rocks and a little dust were all we took. We carried no weapons, just tools for digging and measuring. We were space-age conquistadors and we truly came in peace for all mankind.
30. Alan Bean Our Own Personal Spaceships $0.00
Our Own Personal Spaceships - "Every human who walked on the moon did so in his own personal spaceship," says Alan Bean. "We called them space suits and they performed beautifully on all six lunar landings. I painted astronaut John Young all bundled up in his. John commented, ""I can"t speak too highly for the pressure suit. Boy that thing really takes a beating." "The suit is airtight but it would be limp and useless without the connecting hoses reaching around from the backpack we called the PLSS, the Portable Life Support System. Through one hose flows fresh life-sustaining oxygen while another removes the used atmosphere and maintains the suit pressure just above 3.5 pounds per square inch. Another hose circulates water through the small tubes in John"s underwear to carry away excess body heat. Radio communication is provided by another. "Many of the more important functions are monitored and controlled by the RCU, the Remote Control Unit resting squarely on the chest. Finally, a special hose is connected to the suit to give auxiliary oxygen flow in the event the primary oxygen supply were to fail or the suit were punctured and began to leak. John later observed, "`since it is the only thing between you and that vacuum in plus or minus 250 degrees, it"s a good piece of gear." Our space suits were an incredible American technical achievement. They had to reliably provide all the functions of any spaceship with one small exception""they contained no rocket engine so we had to utilize our own two legs for propulsion." Now you can own a unique and beautiful piece of lunar history. Alan Bean"s Our Own Personal Spaceships, is painted by the first and only artist to visit another world. Each canvas is signed by the legendary Apollo 12 astronaut, moonwalker and artist. Each is a work of art, each a historic document, each your own personal connection to traveling in space. Own a Fine Art Edition Canvas by astronaut and explorer Alan Bean and you will never look at the Moon the same way again.
31. Alan Bean First Flag $595.00
First Flag - This Fine Art Textured Canvas is a portrait of the flag that Astronaut Neil Armstrong planted on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission, the first time man walked on the moon. The first flag hangs, much like a curtain, from a small extendable metal rod that Armstrong rotated up and locked in place at the top of the flagstaff. During the flight to the moon, the flag was stored folded-up, accordion-style, and attached to the flagstaff and curtain rod. During the first moonwalk, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin attempted to extend the rod and flag to its full length but without complete success. The creases in the shortened flag are still visible in my painting. A Fine Art Textured Canvas looks nearly identical to the original painting and reproduces Alan Bean"s carefully built three-dimensional canvas. Prior to painting this image, Bean covered the surface with a texturing material. He then used exact replicas of his Moon boots to make footprints across this surface to replicate the Apollo boot prints remaining on the moon today. Next, he used the Apollo 12 geology hammer, which he worked with on the Apollo 12 mission, to dig into the painting"s surface. Finally, a sharp-edged bit from one of the core tubes was used to make round indentations in the surface. All of this texture comes to amazing 3-dimensional life in this striking Fine Art Textured Canvas Edition. The Greenwich Workshop"s reputation has been built on our exacting standards and First Flag is as exacting a Fine Art Edition as possible. Each canvas is signed by legendary Apollo 12 astronaut, moonwalker and artist Captain Alan Bean and each is a work of art and a historic document. Own a personal and patriotic connection to traveling in space. Own a Fine Art Textured Canvas by astronaut and explorer Alan Bean and you will never look at the Moon the same way again. Artist, Alan Bean, on First Flag: On September 12, 1962, John F. Kennedy gave America an historical challenge. He said, "The United States was not built by those who waited and rested and wished to look behind them. This country was conquered by those who moved forward," and later, "We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone and one we intend to win." In less than seven years, on July 20, 1969, the whole world watched on television as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin unfurled the first flag on the moon. It was a moment that will live in history forever and in the collective memories of billions of humans 240,000 miles away on planet Earth. Apollo "" the quest for the Moon was an impossible dream some 400,000 Americans, working together, made come true. Every day I feel blessed to have been part of that great adventure.
32. Alan Bean Getting Ready to Ride $0.00
Getting Ready to Ride - Apollo 17 Commander Eugene A. Cernan is mounting the best transportation system seen on the Moon in the last four and one-half billion years. The Lunar Rover is a unique product of American ingenuity, designed and built to perform one task very well. That single task is to move two American astronauts, their equipment and collected lunar samples swiftly and safely from one geologic site to the next in support of their exploration of the Moon. Gene and his teammate, astronaut geologist Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, are glad they have a Rover. Their landing site, Taurus Littrow valley, is large and there are a number of important sites to be explored, way too many and too far apart to do so on foot. They are on a tight timeline and everything is going pretty much as planned. Gene has been going full out with four-wheel drive and fore and aft steering most of the time. The four electric motors, one on each wheel, produced about seven miles per hour. This may not sound like much, but with boulders and craters all about, Gene and Jack thought it was just right. In fact, Gene reported he could feel the rear end break loose in about half of the turns. The suspension system was outstanding. "I negotiated some relatively good-sized rocks, 10 to 12 inches or so, head on, and the vehicle just walked right over these rocks without any difficulty at all. I know I would not want to try that in my SUV here on Planet Earth." Gene added, "It"s a vehicle that you have to drive to get accustomed to. It"s one you approach slowly and then you begin to peak out. Before long you begin to live up to the Rover"s maximum performance capabilities. The only drawback I can see is that to design and build four of them cost NASA 38 million dollars back in the 1970s. Each would be about 53 million in today's dollars." Own a unique and beautiful piece of lunar history, Alan Bean"s "Getting Ready to Ride," is painted by the first and only artist to visit another world. Each canvas is signed by the legendary Apollo 12 astronaut, moonwalker and artist "" each a work of art, each a historic document, each your own personal connection to traveling in space. Own a Fine Art Edition Canvas by astronaut and explorer Alan Bean and you will never look at the Moon the same way again.
33. Alan Bean A Giant Leap SmallWork Canvas Edition $3500.00
Neil Armstrongs first step on the Moon was Apollos most celebrated moment. No matter what our age, those of us on planet Earth remember exactly where we were and what we were doing at the time. “In 'A Giant Leap,'” says artist and astronaut Alan Bean,“I show him shifting his weight onto the Moon, placing the first human footprint there. ‘Thats one small step for man, Neil said, ‘one giant leap for mankind.”
34. Alan Bean A Window on the End of an Era $670.00
Captain Alan Bean creates imagery from a perspective on the Apollo program no other artist can claim. And, it is that moonwalker experience that enables him to lace his paintings with details that could only be remembered by someone who was there. “The Apollo 17 crew, Gene Cernan, Ron Evans and Jack Schmitt, are busy configuring their spacecraft for transearth injection, a burn that will rocket them out of lunar orbit and on a trajectory safely back to Planet Earth,” Alan Bean explains. “If they had the time to look out the window, they might see what we see, the stark lifeless beauty of the Crater Leuschner, bathed in a beautiful blue tinted reflected earthlight, with the magnificent blue and white Earth appearing to slip behind the lunar horizon for the last time. But they dont, their focus is inside. “It is about 5PM at Mission Control in Houston, Texas, on December 16, 1972, where we were in the final phase of completing the boldest era of exploration in history. The Apollo 17 crews mantra had been ‘The End of the Beginning. Apollo had done its work, taking humans 240,000 miles from the shores of our home planet and setting the stage for future exploration. “But since this last glimpse 40 years ago, nobody has ventured further than 400 miles from Earth. Few of us realized then that humans would not return to the Moon to stay for a very, very long time. But when they do return, it will be on the shoulders of Apollo. “I know that someday a new energy and quest for exploration will emerge from the leaders of our great nation to reach once again for the Moon and beyond, goals technically within our grasp, but not yet captured by their spirit. As we witness the Earth-set on this last orbit of the Moon by humans, Apollos place in history was complete: our work as the new explorers was done and it was time to pass the torch to others to fulfill the promise of Apollo.” Captain Bean creates his original works of art using a unique technique allowing the viewer to actually sense vestiges of the 20th centurys most dramatic accomplishments. Pressed into the canvas surfaces are Captain Beans authentic lunar boot “moonprints,” impressions from a core tube-bit used to collect soil samples and marks from a hammer used to drive the staff of the American flag into the moons surface. Our Greenwich Workshop Fine Art Edition Giclee of "A Window on the End of an Era" beautifully captures this element of his trademark style and each is signed by Astronaut, Explorer, Moonwalker and Artist, Alan Bean.
35. Alan Bean An American Success Story $910.00
“'An American Success Story' shows Astronaut John Young in April of 1972 as he stood proudly on the moon,” says artist Alan Bean,“but for a while, it didnt look like he and Charlie Duke would even land. Orbiting the moon in their lunar module preparing for descent, a call came reporting an oscillation in the backup steering system. They knew that this might force them to return to earth as soon as possible. If the systems failed, the Apollo 16 and her crew would orbit the moon forever. "Immediately, mission control was alerted. Could they determine if oscillations would prevent the backup steering system from doing its job? Records were searched and tests conducted, in less than six hours the results were in: the mission could continue. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief. John Young would say later, “It was a cliff-hanger, but the ground crew really came through, putting us right back in the ball game.”
36. Alan Bean HEAVENLY REFLECTIONS $390.00
"I have painted Pete Conrad and myself 239,000 miles from Earth during the Apollo XII mission, standing on the Ocean of Storms, looking homeward. Pete and I had come a long way together. He is the best astronaut I have ever known. As we looked up, the sky was a deep shiny black. As I touched Pete's shoulder I thought, can all the people we know or have seen or heard about actually be up on that tiny blue and white marble? It was a wondrous moment." Countersigner: Charles "Pete" Conrad.
37. Alan Bean IN THE BEGINNING... $4400.00
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong took one small step for a man and a giant leap for mankind. On November 15, 1969, Alan Bean also set foot on the Moon. Twenty-five years later, "In the Beginning" was created to celebrate the anniversary. "I knew that creating a painting to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first lunar landing and the total Apollo program would be difficult," says Bean. "How does one show in a single painting the dedication, the intensity, the self-sacrifice, the sense of duty, history and patriotism that engulfed all of us in our quest for the Moon?" With a little help from his friends, that's how. Just as the Apollo program itself was the collaboration of many, Bean sought suggestions from fellow astronauts, artists and good friends before creating this image. The result is this stirring portrait of Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, celebrating their accomplishment in red, white and blue while Gene Cernan, the latest moon explorer, gives a friendly wave at the planet they've temporarily left behind. Countersigners: Walter Cunningham and Wally Schirra (Apollo 7), Frank Borman (Apollo 8), Jim McDivitt and Rusty Schweickart (Apollo 9), Tom Stafford (Apollo 10), Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins (Apollo 11), Alan Bean, Charles Conrad Jr. and Dick Gordon (Apollo 12), Fred W. Haise and Jim Lovell (Apollo 13), Edgar Mitchell, Stuart A. Roosa and Alan B. Shephard Jr. (Apollo 14), Dave Scott and Al Worden (Apollo 15), Charlie Duke (Apollo 16) and Harrison H. "Jack" Schmitt (Apollo 17).
38. Alan Bean One Lucky Guy SmallWork Edition Artist Proof $1300.00
“It seemed I could run forever on the Moon and my legs would not get tired,” recollects Apollo 12 moonwalker Alan Bean. “There was a reason, however. On Earth I weighed about 150 pounds and the suit and backpack another 150 pounds. On the Moon, with its one-sixth gravity, my equipment and I only weighed a total of 50 pounds. This light weight made me feel as if I were super strong - that I could run forever.” “Time on the Moon was limited so we learned quickly how to run in a spacesuit. The suit is hard to move at the knee and hip joints. Moving about is most readily accomplished by keeping the legs relatively stiff and using mostly an ankle motion. It feels and looks as if you are dancing on tiptoe. If I could bring that one-sixth gravity field back to Earth, I could win the Boston Marathon - my legs would only have to carry 25 pounds.” Over 40 years ago, on November, 14, 1969, Lunar Module Pilot Alan Bean, with fellow Apollo 12 astronauts, Commander Charles “Pete” Conrad and Command Module Pilot Richard Gordon, left Earth for the Moon. Five days later on Nov. 19, Bean stepped off the lunar module Intrepid and onto the Moons Ocean of Storms and became the fourth human to walk on another planet. Alan Bean paints the Apollo missions from a perspective no other can: as one who has been there. In March, 2012, Capt. Bean celebrated his 80th birthday. Weve set the edition size of the self-portrait "One Lucky Guy" at 80 pieces as a tip of the hat to this event. This Fine Art Canvas Edition is a superb example of Alans unique lunar painting style and features Bean himself on the Moon. This edition is personally signed by astronaut, moonwalker and the First Artist on Another World, Capt. Alan Bean.
39. Alan Bean Jim Irwin Indomitable Astronaut $1600.00
Jim Irwin, Colonel, United States Air Force, had a brilliant but challenging career. His is a story of difficult challenges met, and with hard work and perseverance, overcome. After battling illness and severe injuries for ten years, Jim Irwin found himself standing on the Moon.
"After leaving NASA, Jim authored a number of books about his life and about his experiences. He gave me one of those books as a gift and I treasure it today. He inscribed Decisions determined destination! Your grateful brother, Jim Irwin, Apollo 15.
