Alan Lavern Bean was the fourth man on the moon, but after the excitement from the first couple, he is a relative unknown.

According to his bio at NASA, he was born in Wheeler, Texas, on March 15, 1932. He was a Navy ROTC Student at Texas and was commissioned on graduation in 1955. The bio continues, "After completing flight training, he was assigned to a jet attack squadron in Jacksonville, Florida. After a four-year tour of duty, he attended the Navy Test Pilot School, then flew as a test pilot on several types of naval aircraft."

Alan Bean was a member of the third team of astronauts nominated by NASA in October of 1963, and served as a backup astronaut for the Gemini 10 and Apollo 9 missions before being lunar module pilot for the Apollo 12 mission which landed he and collegue Pete Conrad on the moon for NASA's second visit in November 1969.

Alan Bean has reportedly spent 1,671 hours and 45 minutes in space, but resigned from NASA in June of 1981 to devote his full time to painting, with the hope of expressing his unique experiences through the medium of art.

"Alan Bean" by Hefner

From their fifth major album Dead Media.

Ever felt like giving up?
I've felt like giving up.
But not since 1969.

I found a greater truth,
At a godly altitude,
Won't waste another day of my life.

As we tumbled down to Earth,
We felt the capsule turn,
We saw the blue skies burn.

As we splashed down in the sea,
You were praying on your knees,
It bought a change in me.

Everyone will forget soon,
The fourth man on the moon,
But I've got it in my mind.

I'd like to paint your eyes,
But I've got to paint the sky.
Going to be a painter all my life.

As we tumbled down to Earth,
We felt the capsule turn,
We saw the blue skies burn.

As we splashed down in the sea,
You were praying on your knees,
It bought a change in me.

And what you didn't see,
I'll let you see through me.
I'm going to paint the moon for you.

Ever felt like giving up?
   We've felt like giving up
Ever felt like giving up?
   All the time.