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Scott left it on its side as a memorial, next to a plaque with the names of 14 astronauts who'd died during previous missions. But Van Hoeydonck later objected to the name and said he'd intended for it to be left upright, as a symbol for how humans were using the moon as a stepping stone to the stars. The disagreement eventually boiled over into a scandal, as Van Hoeydonck sought to sell replicas of the statue (violating his agreement with Scott), before changing his mind. But the original Fallen Astronaut still sits in the same spot on the moon, 43 years later.
The 8 Weirdest Things We’ve Left On The Moon
Scott left it on its side as a memorial, next to a plaque with the names of 14 astronauts who'd died during previous missions. But Van Hoeydonck later objected to the name and said he'd intended for it to be left upright, as a symbol for how humans were using the moon as a stepping stone to the stars. The disagreement eventually boiled over into a scandal, as Van Hoeydonck sought to sell replicas of the statue (violating his agreement with Scott), before changing his mind. But the original Fallen Astronaut still sits in the same spot on the moon, 43 years later.