Charles Duke

Charles Duke was a pilot.

He flew fast jet planes. He also flew in space.

He was a very young man on the Moon. He was only 36 years old. This made him the youngest person to walk there. He even left a photo of his family on the Moon. It is a very special thing to do.

Charles Duke was a pilot and an astronaut.

He grew up in South Carolina. He wanted to fly, so he went to the Naval Academy. He later joined the Air Force to fly jet planes.

He even studied at MIT to learn more about space.

In 1966, NASA chose him to be an astronaut. He helped with many space missions. He was the voice for Mission Control during Apollo 11. This was the first trip where people landed on the Moon.

In 1972, he flew on the Apollo 16 mission. He was the pilot for the Lunar Module. This is the small part of the ship that lands on the Moon.

Duke became the 10th person to walk on the Moon. He was 36 years old. This made him the youngest person to walk there. He and John Young explored the Moon's surface. They did three EVAs, which are walks outside the spacecraft.

He even left a photo of his family on the Moon.

Charles Moss Duke Jr. is a famous American astronaut and pilot.

He is best known for being one of the few people to walk on the Moon. In 1972, he flew on the Apollo 16 mission. He served as the pilot for the Lunar Module, which is the part of the spacecraft that lands on the Moon. At age 36, he became the 10th person to walk on the lunar surface. He was also the youngest person to ever walk on the Moon.

His journey to space involved many steps of training. First, he learned to fly many different types of planes. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1957. Later, he went to the Aerospace Research Pilot School in California. He also studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to learn about aeronautics and astronautics. This means he studied how things fly and how they work in space. He even helped with research on guidance systems for the Apollo project.

Duke's path to NASA began with a newspaper article. In 1965, he saw an ad for NASA's fifth group of astronauts. He applied and became one of 19 men selected in April 1966. Before his own Moon walk, he helped other missions. He was part of the support crew for Apollo 10. He also worked as the CAPCOM for Apollo 11. CAPCOM is the person at Mission Control who talks directly to the astronauts in space. His voice became very famous during that historic first Moon landing.

There are many important facts about his time in space. During the Apollo 16 mission, Duke and John Young landed at the Descartes Highlands. They performed three extravehicular activities, or EVAs. An EVA is a walk outside of the spacecraft. Duke spent 21 hours and 38 minutes doing these walks. He also logged a total of 265 hours in space. He even left a special gift behind on the Moon. He left a portrait of his family on the lunar surface.

Duke's life shows how much hard work it takes to explore. He grew up in North Carolina and South Carolina. He was an Eagle Scout when he was a boy. He spent much of his life flying, with over 4,147 total flying hours. Most of those hours were spent in jet aircraft. He eventually became a brigadier general in the Air Force. Even though he retired from NASA in 1976, his work helped us understand the Moon much better.

Charles Moss Duke Jr. is an American former astronaut and United States Air Force officer.

He is most famous for his role as the Lunar Module pilot during the Apollo 16 mission in 1972. During this mission, he became the 10th person to walk on the Moon. At the age of 36 years and 201 days, he also became the youngest person to ever walk on the lunar surface. He remains the youngest person to have ever done so. Duke is one of only four surviving Moon walkers, alongside David Scott, Buzz Aldrin, and Harrison Schmitt.

Duke's path to the Moon began with extensive training in aviation and engineering. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1957. Although he was not an athlete, he played on the academy's golf team.

During a summer cruise in Europe, he experienced seasickness, which led him to consider a career in aviation. Because of a minor astigmatism in his right eye, he could not become a naval aviator. However, the Air Force accepted him, and he began flight training at several bases. He graduated as a distinguished graduate from training on the F-86 Sabre at Moody Air Force Base.

After his initial training, Duke served as a fighter pilot in West Germany. He was stationed at Ramstein Air Base with the 526th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. This assignment was during the height of the Cold War and the Berlin Crisis of 1961. His squadron was on high alert to intercept aircraft crossing the border from East Germany. Seeking further education, Duke attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). There, he earned a Master of Science degree in aeronautics and astronautics in 1964. During his studies, he performed statistical analysis for the Project Apollo guidance systems. This work helped him prepare for his future role in space exploration.

In 1965, Duke applied to NASA's fifth astronaut group after seeing an announcement in the Los Angeles Times. He underwent rigorous medical and psychological testing at Brooks Air Force Base. This included encephalograms and sessions in a human centrifuge. In April 1966, he was one of 19 men selected for the program. Before his own lunar landing, Duke served in vital support roles. He was a member of the support crew for Apollo 10. He also served as the CAPCOM for Apollo 11, the first crewed Moon landing. As CAPCOM, he was the voice of Mission Control communicating with the crew. His Southern drawl became famous when he spoke to the astronauts during their landing on the Moon.

Duke's experience with the Apollo program also included serving as the backup Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 13. This mission faced significant challenges when a crew member, Ken Mattingly, was replaced due to rubella exposure. Mattingly was later reassigned as the command module pilot for Duke's own mission, Apollo 16.

On Apollo 16, Duke and John Young landed the Lunar Module at the Descartes Highlands. Duke performed three extravehicular activities, or EVAs, which are periods of time spent working outside the spacecraft.

He spent a total of 21 hours and 38 minutes performing these EVAs. He also logged 265 hours in space during his career.

Throughout his time in space, Duke engaged in scientific study and left lasting marks on the Moon. He participated in specialized geology training to better understand the lunar surface.

During his mission, he and John Young also used training versions of the Lunar Roving Vehicle to prepare for movement.

One of his most personal acts was leaving a family portrait on the lunar surface. This small gesture serves as a permanent connection between his life on Earth and his work in space.

After retiring from NASA on January 1, 1976, Duke continued his service in the Air Force Reserve. He eventually rose to the rank of brigadier general and retired from the Air Force in June 1986. His career is defined by massive amounts of flight time. He logged 4,147 total flying hours, with 3,632 of those hours in jet aircraft. His journey from a young boy making model aircraft to a Moon walker demonstrates the intense preparation required for spaceflight. His legacy remains a significant part of the history of human exploration of the solar system.