Charles "Charlie" Duke landed on the Moon in 1972 during the Apollo 16 mission, the fifth Moon landing. Duke and mission commander John Young explored an area of highlands called Descartes.
Prior to this, Duke served as CAPCOM (capsule communicator) during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission. His job was to speak to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin during their historic landing.
After the Eagle spacecraft touched down, Duke said: "Roger, Tranquillity, we copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot!"
Photo: Charles Duke on the Moon (NASA/John W. Young)
Charlie Duke tells James May what it was like to walk and drive on the Moon.
Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke tells James May what it was like to walk on the Moon. He explains that it wasn't all work for them up there - they had some fun too.
James May meets Apollo astronaut Charlie Duke. From mission control in Houston, Duke was in direct communication with the Apollo 11 astronauts inside the landing craft, Eagle. He later walked on the Moon during the Apollo 16 mission.
Charles Moss Duke, Jr. (born October 3, 1935) is a retired US Air Force brigadier general, and a former United States astronaut for NASA. As lunar module pilot for Apollo 16 in 1972, he became the tenth and youngest person to walk on the Moon.
A former test pilot, Duke has logged 4,147 hours flying time, which includes 3,632 hours in jet aircraft; and 265 hours in space, plus 21 hours and 28 minutes of extra-vehicular activity
A resident of New Braunfels, Texas, he is currently chairman of the board of directors of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.
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