A sculpture on the Moon commemorates fallen astronauts. The 8.5 cm Fallen Astronaut sculpture by artist Paul Van Hoeydonck commemorates those who have died in the name of space exploration. The small figure depicts an astronaut in a spacesuit. In 1971, the number of astronauts who lost their lives was 14, and in their honour, the crew of Apollo 15 placed the sculpture next to a plaque listing the names of the eight American astronauts and six Soviet cosmonauts who died in service.
The project was done in secrecy, and it wasn’t until after Apollo 15 had landed safely back on Earth that the existence of the sculpture was revealed.
But Van Hoeydonck claims he didn’t know that the statue would be used to commemorate astronauts, he didn’t approve of the name Fallen Astronaut, and he didn’t even intend for the statue to be left lying down.
Picture Credit : Google
