Alan Bean graduated from Paschal High School in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1951. In 1955, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Texas

After completing flight training as a Navy ROTC Student at Texas University, Bean was assigned to a jet attack squadron in Jacksonville, Florida. After four years of duty, he attended the Navy Test Pilot School. Bean flew as a test pilot on several types of naval aircraft. He was selected as one of the third group of astronauts named by NASA in October 1963.

Alan Bean served as lunar module pilot for Apollo 12. It was man's second lunar landing.

Astronauts Bean and Conrad landed on the Ocean of Storms on the moon's surface. During their stay they explored the lunar surface, set up several experiments on the lunar surface. On the moon's surface, the astronauts of Apollo 12 also installed the first nuclear power generator station to provide the power source.

The Apollo 12 crew retrieved parts of the unmanned Surveyor 3. It landed on the Moon in April of 1967. They collected 75 lbs of lunar material.

Flight Duration: Ten days, four hours, and thirty-six minutes

Skylab 3

July 28-September 25, 1973

Bean was commander of the third Skylab Mission. It was a 24,400,000 mile world record setting flight.

During the flight, astronauts Bean, Lousma, and Garriott maintained the Skylab Space Station. They perfromed extensive scientific and medical experiments.

With a total of 858 Earth orbits, they completed three extravehicular activies, EVA's, for a total of thirteen hours, and forty-three minutes.

The crew of Skylab 3 splashed down on September 25, 1973.

Flight Duration: Fifty-nine days, and eleven hours