The Astronaut Monument is a monument commemorating the training of Apollo astronauts in northern Iceland in 1965 and 1967. It is located outside the Exploration Museum in Húsavík, and contains the names of 32 Apollo astronauts who were sent to Iceland for training in geology for crewed lunar missions. Fourteen of the trainee astronauts later flew to the Moon, and seven of those conducted geology work on the lunar surface.
The monument includes the names of the astronauts, the American and Icelandic flags, the insignia of the Apollo program, and features two steel globes on top of two basalt columns to represent the Earth and the Moon.
The monument was unveiled on July 15, 2015, by the grandchildren of Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong.
Apollo geology trainees
The 32 Apollo astronauts listed on the monument are:
William Anders
Neil Armstrong
Charles Bassett
Alan Bean
Vance D. Brand
Gerald P. Carr
Eugene Cernan
Roger B. Chaffee
Walter Cunningham
Charles Duke
Donn F. Eisele
Joseph Engle
Ronald Evans
Owen Garriott
Edward Gibson
Fred Haise
Joseph P. Kerwin
Don L. Lind
Jack R. Lousma
Ken Mattingly
Bruce McCandless
Curt Michel
Edgar Mitchell
William Pogue
Stuart Roosa
Harrison Schmitt
Russell Schweickart
David Scott
John L. Swigert
Paul J. Weitz
Clifton Williams
Alfred Worden
Seven of the trainees did geological research and sample collection while on the Moon: Armstrong, Bean, Cernan, Duke, Mitchell, Schmitt, and Scott.
Seven others flew to the Moon but did not land: Anders, Evans, Haise, Mattingly, Roosa, Swigert, and Worden.
See also
Astronaut training
Geology of the Moon
Moon rocks
Lunar soil
Lunar Receiving Laboratory
Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility
References
Monuments and memorials in Iceland
Museums in Iceland
Science and technology in Iceland
Iceland–United States relations
Húsavík
Apollo program
Monuments and memorials to explorers
History of spaceflight
William Anders
Neil Armstrong
Alan Bean
Gene Cernan
Charles Duke
Ronald Evans (astronaut) Fred Haise Ken Mattingly Edgar Mitchell Stuart Roosa Harrison Schmitt Rusty Schweickart David Scott Jack Swigert Alfred Worden