Sculpture, Fallen Astronaut

This fallen astronaut figurine made by Belgian artist Paul van Hoeydonck is similar to the one placed without publicity on the Moon by Apollo 15 commander Dave Scott in August 1971, along with a memorial plaque. Scott intended the gesture to commemorate fourteen U.S. astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts who had died prior to that mission.The Museum received this statuette on April 17, 1972, the day after CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite revealed, during the broadcast of the Apollo 16 launch, the existence of the "fallen astronaut" and plaque as the first art on the Moon.Paul Van Hoeydonck donated the artifact to the Museum in 1972.