In Memoriam

Alan LaVern Bean, the fourth human to walk on the Moon, and an accomplished artist, passed away on Saturday, May 26, at the age of 86. A test pilot in the U.S. Navy, Bean was one of 14 trainees selected by NASA for its third group of astronauts in October 1963. He flew twice into space, […]

Michael J.S. Belton, the President of Belton Space Exploration Initiatives and an Emeritus Astronomer at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), passed away on Monday, June 4, 2018. He was a member of the Planetary Science Institute (PSI) Board of Trustees. Born in Bognor Regis, England, he received his Bachelor’s degree at the University of St. […]

Bradford A. Smith, a pioneer in the exploration of the solar system, passed away on Tuesday, July 3, 2018. During his career, Smith participated in a number of U.S. and international space missions, including Mars Mariners 6 and 7, the Mars Viking mission, the Soviet Vega mission to Halley’s Comet, the Soviet Phobos mission to Mars, and […]