Fallen Astronaut figure on the Moon

Seen above is the Fallen Astronaut, a tiny aluminum figurine that on August 1, 1971 the Apollo 15 crew placed on the Moon's surface with a plaque listing the names of 14 astronauts and cosmonauts who had died. Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck created the figure and later took a ton of shit from NASA for making replicas that he intended to sell. The space agency felt the commercialization went against their original understanding with Van Hoeydonck. "Fallen Astronaut" (Wikipedia, via Weird Universe)

• [useruser]

  Would it be against the spirit of the original effort if someone recreated it on thingaverse?
  Here is a better picture of just the model: http://www.ep-webeditors.eu/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/van_hoeydonck_the_fallen_as.jpg

  • [Florian Bösch]

    You could upsize it a bit and use it for a drop in replacement of garden gnomes. Be sure to put up a plaque that lists your fallen petunias (by plot number).

• [Warren_Terra]

  From the same post at Weird Universe, more evidence that Andy Warhol was a dick.

• [akbar56]

  Shameless self promotion (but kind of related) a super cut I put together as a tribute to cinemas greatest space helmets: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMgmxkZ0pWI

• [Andrew Whitacre]

  They trusted someone with the name Paul Van Hoeydonck?

• [Mark Duanburge]

  @Pesco, it should be noted that after discussion with Nasa the artist neither made or sold the planned replicas.

• [swlabr]

  Ages ago I saw some really haunting images of some of Van Hoeydonck’s experimental figure sculptures in a late 60′s book about the progressive art of that time. Sorry, I don’t see them in google images now, so you might have to take my word for it. Of course, I can’t remember the title?