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Astronaut, moonwalker Alan Bean dies at 86

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Former Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean, the fourth man to walk on the moon, has died. He was 86.

Bean was the lunar module pilot for the second moon landing mission in November 1969.

He spent 31 hours on the moon during two moonwalks, deploying surface experiments with commander Charles Conrad and collecting 75 pounds of rocks and lunar soil for study back on Earth, according to a statement from NASA.

Bean's wife of 40 years, Leslie, said in a statement that Bean died peacefully on Saturday at Houston Methodist Memorial Hospital, surrounded by those who loved him.

With Bean's passing, only four of 12 Apollo moonwalkers are still alive -- Buzz Aldrin, Dave Scott, Charlie Duke and Harrison Schmitt.

After Apollo, Bean commanded the second crewed flight to the United States' first space station, Skylab, in 1973. On that mission, he orbited the Earth for 59 days and traveled 24.4 million miles, setting a world record at the time.

Born March 15, 1932, in Wheeler, Texas, Bean received a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Texas in 1955. He attended the Navy Test Pilot School and was one of 14 trainees selected by NASA for its third group of astronauts in October 1963.

Bean retired from NASA in 1981 and devoted much of his time to creating an artistic record of space exploration.

He is survived by his wife, Leslie; a daughter, Amy Sue; and a son, Clay.

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