DEKE THE
QUARTERLY
ALAN BEAN Omega Chi ’55
A Special Commemorative Apollo 12 50th Anniversary Edition
THE APOLLO PROGRAM AND APOLLO 12
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he words “The United States should commit to the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth,” spoken by President John F. Kennedy to Congress in 1961, followed by his “We choose to go to the Moon” speech at Rice University in 1962, launched the Space Race. Then, landing men on the Moon seemed unimaginable. As Alan Bean explained in his 2014 DKE convention keynote speech, at the time of Kennedy’s speech, no equipment or technology needed to achieve the goal had even been invented. “We were truly starting from scratch.” Columbus sailed into the unknown but at least he had time tested ships. There is little doubt Apollo was mankind’s greatest adventure.
“The planting of the red, white and blue of the United States of America would be a shining moment for all six Apollo landing missions. I saluted. It was truly a golden moment for us.”
“NOBODY EVER REMEMBERS THE SECOND PERSON TO DO SOMETHING.” Apollo 12 Commander Charles “Pete” Conrad While most casual observers remember where they were on July 20, 1969 when Apollo 11 touched down in the Sea of Tranquility, few know much about later Apollo flights. This is unfortunate as most of the lasting achievements of the Apollo program were made by subsequent missions. November 19, 2019 was the 50th anniversary of Apollo 12 landing on the Moon. The details, especially the achievements of the mission, didn’t garner much more coverage in 1969 than the 50th anniversary did last year. Apollo 12’s crew was Commander Pete Conrad, Lunar Module pilot Alan Bean and Command Module pilot Dick Gordon. Contrary to public perception in 1969, the second Moon mission was not an Apollo 11 replay. The Ocean of Storms destination was a crater field 1000 miles from Sea of Tranquility. A primary mission goal was to retrieve something from Surveyor III, an unmanned probe that soft landed two years earlier, proving a pinpoint Moon landing was possible. This was crucial to future Apollo program objectives and far more hazardous than Apollo 11’s “just get it down safely” landing. Conrad and Bean would need to touch down within walking distance (no Moon rover on this mission) of Surveyor; less than 500 yards leeway on a trip of over 228,000 miles. Their Moon landing approach required abandoning the emergency “free return” trajectory, pitching the LM forward to see where they were headed. An aborted landing would mean manually steering back to the orbiting Command Module. This would have been beyond just difficult.
In a preflight press conference the crew surmised landing close to Surveyor was 50/50, provided its position on the Moon’s surface had even been correctly calculated. There was no mention Bean and Conrad would have less than the same 50/50 chance to make it back alive if they had to abort their landing attempt at the last moment. Apollo 12’s unique hazards were compounded by needing to leave instruments on the Moon that could operate for one year+. The solution was a nuclear generator powered up by Alan on the surface. A mistake inserting the plutonium tube to activate the generator would expose the astronauts to deadly radiation.
All things considered, these types of dangers were to be expected in such an ambitious endeavor. However, no one anticipated the famous event that happened before they even left Earth’s atmosphere. Just 36.5 seconds after liftoff their Saturn 5 rocket triggered a lighting discharge to Earth through the rocket’s ionized plume. Protective circuits tripped the Command/Service Module (CSM) control panel. A second strike 16 seconds later knocked out the “8-ball” attitude indicator. Power supply problems lit warning lights on the control panel and caused massive instrumentation malfunction. Commander Conrad lightly grasped the abort handle while calmly waiting for a solution from mission control. John Aaron (NASA’s original “steely-eyed missile man”) recalled the telemetry failure from training and communicated, “Try SCE to aux,” referring to an obscure switch. No one, including Conrad, immediately recognized it. Fortunately, Alan, flying in the right seat as the CSM systems engineer, remembered the location and flipped the switch. It worked; Bean’s memory saved what could have been an aborted mission. Apollo 12 succeeded in landing at its intended target, within walking distance of Surveyor. This was the first — and, to date, only — occasion in which humans have “caught up” to a probe sent to land on another world. Despite a TV coverage glitch, Apollo 12 was a great success. In addition to the pinpoint landing and successful nuclear generator installation, Conrad and Bean collected rocks and set up equipment that measured the Moon’s seismicity, solar wind flux, and magnetic field, and relayed data to Earth. Fortunately, fear the lightning strikes damaged the parachutes (not shared with the astronauts) proved groundless, and they splashed down safely.
On the cover: A Golden Moment, 1999 painting, part of Alan’s “Self Portrait” group. 2 THE DEKE QUARTERLY | SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE APOLLO 12 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Over the entire History of Mankind, only 12 Humans have left Earth to visit another celestial body. One is a DEKE
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hough many people say they are happy to have been born in the past 40 years, it is impossible for me to imagine not being around for the Space Race. From July 1969 to December 1972 there were seven missions to the Moon, one every six months on average. Having lived it, the excitement was real almost every day for those following the adventure, anticipating every approaching launch. In my opinion, it is unfortunate most people around today did not have the chance to witness those historic and stirring events. Maybe one day, as Brother Bean told us he believes, humans will again embark on a similar adventure. —Robert Alvis
“I AM THE LUCKIEST GUY YOU HAVE EVER TALKED WITH”
FIRST ARTIST ON ANOTHER WORLD
had no idea he was being recruited; “I thought they were just inviting me to dinner.” When asked to join DKE, he was surprised because he had put those thoughts behind him. But since he liked all the guys he went ahead and pledged. After being an engaged Deke for a year, Alan remained somewhat of an introvert and was not enjoying the social life. More important was the realization that achieving his dreams would require an outside time commitment greatly reducing his ability to participate in DKE and he didn’t feel right being a member in name only. For someone not active very long, Alan had some lasting impressions. “I think, if they could, every college man should be a fraternity man. There are some things you learn there you don’t learn in other places.” He remembers the initiation ceremony as one of the most amazing experiences in his life. “At that age, it had a big effect.” “I always liked being a Deke and thought it was a great gift to be part of that.”
Perhaps an unusual statement for such an accomplished person, this was one of the first things Alan told us in our interview. He credited luck for many good things in his life, including his Alan Bean Omega Chi ’55 becoming a Deke. Though he Apollo 12, November 14-24, 1969 participated in rush freshman Fourth person on the moon, November 19, 1969 year nothing clicked. He didn’t connect with people he FROM TEST PILOT TO Above: Painting entitled One Lucky Guy thought he should connect with LUNAR MODULE PILOT and those who thought they Alan commissioned into the Alan Bean Omega Chi ’55 connected with him, he did not take to. “It was a puzzling thing Navy upon graduation from Texas in 1955 with an aeronautical to me then. Now I look back on it as luck.” engineering degree. His first assignment was a jet attack When Alan returned from his midshipman cruise following squadron in Florida before joining the Navy Test Pilot School. freshman year, Buddy Knot, Omega Chi ’53, and a couple of NASA tapped Alan to be an astronaut on his second try in other Dekes, also in ROTC, invited him to the DKE house. He October 1963, when the Gemini program was starting. sat for years without a flight assignment. This feature is an edited reprint of the story by Robert Alvis, Gamma ’74, originally published in the Summer 2014 DEKE Quarterly based on an interview with Alan Bean in his studio in May of that year.
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the experience with people you love. That’s But he sat for years without a flight what life is all about.” assignment. Alan said he appreciated eloquent words Alan acknowledged he didn’t fit in with being attributed to him but he probably the NASA culture early in his career. would not have thought to say that at the Placing the fault squarely on himself, he time. He did confirm the general tone of admitted often saying he could do things that episode was an accurate reflection of better than some of his superiors. That the relationship Dick Gordon, Pete Conrad likely ruffled some feathers, he conceded. and he shared. It was different from other Although he was a backup astronaut teams. Clearly closer and “yes, a bit like a for Gemini 10 and Apollo 9, Alan was fraternity brotherhood,” Alan noted. “Very reassigned to the Apollo Applications few of the other guys stayed together. But Program to help determine the next steps we did.” after Apollo, rather than put in line for a flight. That changed after C.C. Williams, an astronaut set for flight assignments, OTHER ASTRONAUTS was killed in a plane crash. One of the most enjoyable portions of Pete Conrad, who knew Alan from test our interview was hearing about the pilot school lobbied for him to replace other astronauts that were not part of the CC with the theme, “Alan is really good. Apollo 12 crew. 2013 painting entitled Dedication He just is undiscovered.” Alan stressed “Alan Shepard did not like me and I “Pete had faith in me; it was something did not like him and we both knew it.” I never forgot.” CC Williams’ tragic and unfortunate accident Shepard realized Alan liked to paint and he was not too fond of resulted in yet another piece of luck for Alan. the idea. Alan did not hide this which probably made life a bit When the Apollo 12 mission patch was designed, a fourth more difficult. Looking back, he said he would probably have star was added in the sky above Yankee Clipper. At the end of done things a little differently and gone hunting with the guys the second moonwalk, with official duties complete, Alan placed occasionally. “I was just a naïve pilot at the time.” CC’s Marine Corps aviator wings and an Apollo 12 crew patch On the other hand, there is clearly a place in Alan Bean’s near the edge of Surveyor Crater in Dedication to Williams. heart for Deke Slayton. “He was a stand-up guy who you better not cross. But if you were a stand-up guy, he had your back.” We even discussed his desire to be able to include Slayton in MISSION TO THE MOON a painting. But since he never flew on an Apollo mission Alan No one should be surprised Alan didn’t consider remembering was yet to solve this dilemma. “I will keep thinking,” Alan said, the location of that crucial switch a big deal. Yes, he chalked “because it would be entirely appropriate and well deserved.” it up to luck. Alan told us Pete Conrad deserved all the credit. “His seat of the pants flying skills kept him from aborting the mission after the second lightning strike. He saved the mission; THE NEW CAREER but that is hard to tell in a movie. So I got the credit.” Our interview began with Alan discussing his painting One other event was a bit different. To improve the television techniques and philosophies. His current project was a picture quality from the Moon, a color camera was carried on commission from a California client for two paintings, one for Apollo 12 (Apollo 11’s was monochrome). Unfortunately, while each of his children. Alan chose the beginning and end of the setting up the camera, Alan inadvertently pointed it at the Sun, Moon landings as the theme. The pair of works contrasted destroying the sensitive color tubes. Television coverage of Apollo 12 on the Moon was thus terminated. “Some of the very little bad luck in my life,” Alan said. Good thing he got credit for originally saving the mission.
IS THAT ALL THERE IS? These words, attributed to Alan, became a catch phrase for the mission. It is, in fact, the theme of the Apollo 12 episode in the Tom Hanks’ documentary From the Earth to the Moon. He told us those are not the exact words but, “Please don’t tell anybody, it sounds so good.” However, the conversation did take place on the way back from the Moon. After years of training and all the hard work, accomplishing most tasks, screwing some up; there was just a couple of days on the Moon. “I could have stayed for a month,” Alan said. So the joke became-Is that all there is? The last line of that Apollo 12 episode is spoken by Al’s character: “I realized that when you go through any endeavor, whether across town or to the Moon and back, all that really matters is you share
Apollo 11 scene Alan painted on commission
4 THE DEKE QUARTERLY | SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE APOLLO 12 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Dream Team to barely see a small part of the camera on Neil’s chest. Alan then was able to correct the painting and finish the commission by adding the camera in its proper place.
“IT ALSO HAS TO APPEAR AS IT REALLY WAS” Our review of Alan’s techniques was not complete without an explanation of his methods to maintain the highest degree of visual accuracy. Pointing out a work table which occupied a prominent spot in the middle of his studio, Alan explained how he would place models and mock ups on the table and stretch several strings outward to his current painting. This procedure helped get the proper parallax so the perception was correct for each part of a painting regardless of one’s viewing angle. This and other aids help replicate the perspective and shadows that were present on the Moon to be sure they are accurate for each place, time, astronaut, and related equipment he paints. Actual space equipment, including Moon boots and gloves, and Alan used this table with models to check parallax. scale models filled his studio. The Lunar Module model on his kitchen table was a primary example. Built by a very particular craftsman, it is accurate down to the number of antennas and three Apollo 11 when Armstrong and Aldrin had only a few hours colors of protective foil on the spacecraft. Alan stressed he used these to collect as many rocks as possible with Apollo 17 which items to double check the details. To, in his words, “Get it right.” employed a sophisticated Moon rover. The models brought up one story that might surprise some At the moment of our visit, Alan was working to harmonize people. Alan described being at the Smithsonian Air & Space the light and dark shadows of both paintings. We discussed museum to make a movie for them. During a tour of the options such as adjusting the dark areas of certain craters. exhibits, he noticed the Lunar Module on display had several Alan explained a painter’s trick; adding to a certain area, then errors in construction, including the main struts being installed standing back to see the difference. If the change isn’t an backwards. Making a note of about 15 incorrect items, he later improvement, he would simply remove the pigment. wrote a detailed letter assuming the museum curators would be The Apollo 11 side of the commission highlighted a fascinating eager to correct the mistakes. method Alan used as an “in progress” check of his work. As Returning two years later and realizing no changes had images were created he sent out photos to a support crew he been made he went to see the person in charge of exhibits. called his “Dream Team,” five individuals with a great deal of The response was, “No, this is good enough for us.” Actually, knowledge about space who have access to information and if those struts were in that position on the real LM, the result techniques Alan did not. Members were renowned space would have been a crash landing. Perhaps more importantly, historian and author Andy Chaikin, USA; editors of the Apollo should an artist decide to create an image from the Smithsonian Lunar Surface Journal, Eric Jones, Australia, and Ken Glover, model it would not be right. Though very, very few people would Canada; digital expert Michael Marcus, USA; and Ulli Lotzmann, realize this, Alan made it Germany. clear: “It’s not good enough For the Apollo 11 for me.” image, one commented “One of the things I bring Armstrong should be to this business of painting wearing the camera is this is as good as I can on his chest at that make it, like it really was,” specific point in time. Alan said. “This is what John However, Alan’s reading Young (pointing to the Apollo of the mission transcript 17 commission) really had indicated Neil had set the in his pocket. Notice Buzz camera aside to use his Aldrin (pointing to the other rock collecting tool. The commission) had something question had to be settled different in his.” before Alan was satisfied. “Even though there will The only available be a lot better artists than me photograph of come along, these paintings Armstrong was taken will be the best paintings by Buzz Aldrin from ever of this great adventure,” behind so the answer Alan said. “I must make seemed elusive. It took “First Men” series (Neil Armstrong left, Buzz Aldrin right) each image as accurate as it can which was the centerpiece for Alan’s Exhibition at the extensive magnification Air and Space Museum in 2009. possibly be.” of the photograph by the w w w.d ke.o rg
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To create the typical surface texture of his paintings Alan covered the media (usually aircraft plywood) with an acrylic modeling paste and then used different tools for the markings. As shown in the example, these included a lunar boot sole made from bronze (1), an Apollo 12 flown core-tube bit (2) and the original hammer Alan and Pete had used on the Moon (3 and 4). To make his paintings even more special Alan realized his flown suit patches harbored small particles of Moon dust so he cut these up and embedded them in paintings (5), along with pieces from the foil insulation of the Command Module’s docking hatch (6) and charred material from the Command Module’s heat shield. Among the amazing effects Alan created is the detail in each astronaut’s helmet visor. He made sure he painted an accurate representation of what each specific moonwalker saw on that specific mission at that specific point in time. All of these aspects clearly demonstrate painting was truly a labor of love for Alan.
FINAL WORDS
The use of flown mission items shown in Apollo 17, The End of the Beginning painting
TEXTURE AND REALISM Alan’s paintings instill a feeling that you can touch the Moon’s surface. Though mostly from the texture created by his painting process, this effect is enhanced through the use of several “flown” mission items.
DKE FLAG STORY Over the years there have been numerous tales about a DKE flag being taken to the Moon. The most popular one starts with Alan asking to take the flag with him and being told no by NASA. This myth continues with Alan’s wife secretly sewing a miniature version inside one of the sleeves of his space suit. The DKE flag did make the trip but the true story isn’t all that glamorous. Originally, NASA was pretty lenient if an astronaut wanted to take something to the Moon. Alan’s desire to bring
228,863 Miles From Home At the end of an enthralling and fascinating 90 minutes, we found ourselves preparing Alan for his speech at the 2014 DKE Convention. That included reviewing the official handshake. Alan remembered it, but it had been taught slightly differently at Omega Chi so the minor corrections were made. We left looking forward to seeing him again in early August. Astronauts are often called heroes though most would prefer to just be called adventurers. In Brother Alan Bean’s case the proper term is definitely a skilled painter who was also an adventurer.
meaningful items led him to contact the Texas Dekes, who asked an Omega Chi pledge sister to sew a reduced size version of the DKE flag. Prior to flight, each astronaut displayed his items (Alan also brought a University of Texas flag) on a table. Upon approval, the items were packed in each astronaut’s “Personal Preference Kit” and readied for flight. This flown DKE flag, which Alan presented to DKE after his speech at the 2014 Convention remains one of the most cherished and viewed DKE artifacts.
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A HEARTFELT FAREWELL
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hen Captain Alan Bean, USN, Ret. entered the Mystic Circle in May of 2018, at 86, he left a gaping hole. The world lost an adventurer, an accomplished artist, a great Deke; and many, many people lost a dear friend. Brother Bean, Omega Chi ’55, was a naval aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, astronaut, moonwalker, and artist. As the Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 12 he was the fourth man to walk on the Moon. After Apollo, he commanded Skylab II in 1973, orbiting the Earth for 59 days. Captain Bean’s naval and NASA careers are well detailed elsewhere so here the focus is on other aspects of his life which Alan considered just as, if not more, important. But there is no doubt; Alan Bean was a remarkable explorer. Admitting not really being comfortable surrounded by lots of people, Alan conceded not enjoying fraternity parties. He said this was one reason he loved Apollo; the rigorous training allowed him to develop a close relationship with his crew. In the Tom Hanks’ Apollo documentary, From the Earth to the Moon, the Apollo 12 episode is the only one that focuses on the entire crew. Hanks said this was intentionally done once he discovered the driving force of that mission was the extremely close bond between Dick Gordon, Pete Conrad, and Alan. Whenever Alan spoke of Conrad, who set foot on the moon just before Alan and passed away in 1999, the emotion in his voice was palpable. Most observers credit Alan with saving the mission by remembering that “reset” switch. Often asked about this, Alan always replied “Pete was the real hero of Apollo 12, not me.” Throughout life, Alan Bean was a remarkable friend. Although in line to fly early Space Shuttle flights Alan, who had already taken art classes before he was selected as an astronaut in 1963, decided to resign from NASA to become a full-time artist. “The more I thought about it, the more I realized the young men and women at
Oil painting of Alan by Professor Ulrich Lotzmann of Germany, editor, with Eric Jones and Ken Glover, of Alan’s online gallery (alanbeangallery.com), illustrating how his close friends best remember him, with that “expression of calm, friendly, quizzicality.”
NASA could fly the shuttle as good as me, but I was the only one interested in this other job.” The many replicas populating his studio, including an exact scale model of the Lunar Module, were a testament to his obsession with accuracy. Before starting each work, he would spend weeks studying photographs, often calling fellow astronauts and his five factchecking advisors around the world. In painstaking detail, he re-created what it was like to be on the Moon, using actual Moon dust and ground-up remnants of Apollo gear. Every painting contained something that had been on the lunar surface. Alan never settled for close enough. “I am the only one doing this so it has to be accurate for future generations.” Of course, attention to detail alone doesn’t necessarily make a great artist. The never ending support of his beloved wife Leslie was essential for his career as an artist. In 2005 Alan was awarded the Butler Institute’s Medal
for Life Achievement in the Arts. And consider the Spirit of Apollo painting in a price range of $430,000, or the in-demand commissions for smaller works, averaging $80,000, as additional evidence of his success.. Brother Bean embarked on this ambitious journey because he knew he was the only one who would be able to truly capture the majestic beauty of the greatest achievement of mankind. There is no doubt he was successful. Clearly, Alan Bean was a remarkable artist. Our 2014 interview for the Quarterly began with Alan showing us important aspects of his art; before “giving us the promised 15 minutes.” That quarter hour became 90 minutes of wonderful conversation and stories, after which he provided DKE some real treasures, autographed copies of his out of print book Painting Apollo. It was clearly Alan’s style to be sure he delivered all we could have wanted. This commitment reappeared at the 170th DKE Convention. Following his thrilling speech on the challenges of space Brother Bean autographed the DEKE Quarterly featuring his cover story. He patiently signed each one, with a dedication, until no Dekes were left. In a world where one Apollo astronaut charged $700 for autographs, this showed tremendous consideration for every Deke brother. Even after all his accomplishments and achieving many things most people can only imagine doing, Alan had remained young at heart. He was excited to get up every day and face the challenge of a new painting; almost as though he was gazing up at the heavens, like a young child, wondering what was next. Brother Bean was indeed a remarkable human being. Notable people have long commented Alan was a “Gentleman and Scholar”. No coincidence those are two of three traits of a great Deke. All who really knew him also agree, he was, in his own way, also, a Jolly Good Fellow. Fair winds and following seas, to our Brother in DKE. w w w.d ke.o rg
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A SELECTION OF ALAN BEAN’S FAVORITE WORKS Follow the dates and look closely at the images to experience the evolution of his painting style
Helping Hands (1985) – Alan’s favorite remembrance of working together with Pete Conrad.
The Fantasy (1992) – While Dick Gordon never could have been on the moon with Conrad and Bean, Alan painted this image to show the special spirit of a very special crew.
Closest Relative (2012) – Alan always tried to paint the Earth as truly beautiful. as she is.
Beyond a Young Boy’s Dreams (1989) – “When I was a boy, I dreamed of flying higher than the highest cloud and faster than the fastest wind. Now, here I am on the Moon, living much more than my boyhood dreams.”
Rock and Roll on the Ocean of Storms (2002) – An interesting actual event which was never documented on film.
Here Men From the Planet Earth (2017) – Alan’s final finished painting.
[All of his works can be found at www.alanbeangallery.com. Every one of his paintings has a unique story which can be read on the site. For more about Alan’s life and his painting visit www.alanbean.com ]