Al Worden's 'Fallen Astronaut' statue by Paul Van Hoeydonck, evidently an early example or prototype created by the artist in 1971 prior to the Apollo 15 flight. The sculpture consists of a 3.25″ long stylized aluminum figure representing an astronaut in a spacesuit, cast in a 5″ tall blue acrylic tube, etched on the bottom: "July 71, P. V. Hoeydonck, 5/M." This represents the first iteration of Van Hoeydonck's sculpture, which was originally set inside an acrylic tube so that it could stand upright on the moon. The sculpture had to comply with several safety regulations—it had to be non-magnetic, with no sharp edges, and be small and lightweight. Shortly before launch, NASA decided that the plastic tube was a potential fire hazard, and Van Hoeydonck rushed an unencapsulated statue to Apollo 15 CDR Dave Scott to be taken on the lunar landing mission. The astronauts left the 'Fallen Astronaut' statue on the lunar surface, along with a plaque honoring the fourteen known fallen space explorers.
In the aftermath of the mission, Van Hoeydonck planned to release a limited edition of the sculpture through Waddell Gallery in New York, but canceled the project under pressure from NASA and the Apollo 15 astronauts, who cited concerns over the commercialization of the memorial. He would finally release a limited edition, based on the original prototype of the statue, in 2018; Al Worden joined Van Hoeydonck to reveal the new 'Man in Space' limited editions during events held in Berlin and Düsseldorf in January 2019. In fine condition. Accompanied by several photographs of Worden and Van Hoeydonck together, as well as a slipcased book containing imagery related to Van Hoeydonck's 'Fallen Astronaut' project.
From the collection of Apollo 15 CMP Al Worden, and accompanied by a letter of provenance from his daughter Alison (Worden) Penczak.
