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Charles M. Duke, Jr.

Charles M. Duke, Jr., was a US Air Force test pilot before being chosen as part of NASA’s fifth astronaut group in April 1966. He served as the spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) for the Apollo 11 Moon landing and as the lunar module pilot for Apollo 16 in April 1972. He was the tenth and youngest person to walk on the surface of the Moon.

Quick Facts

Charles M. Duke, Jr., was one of the spacecraft communicators for Apollo 11, the first mission to land humans on the Moon.

Charles M. Duke, Jr., was one of the spacecraft communicators for Apollo 11, the first mission to land humans on the Moon.

Duke left a picture of his family on the Moon’s surface during Apollo 16, with the inscription, “This is the family of Astronaut Duke from Planet Earth. Landed on the Moon, April 1972.”

Duke left a picture of his family on the Moon's surface during Apollo 16, with the inscription, “This is the family of Astronaut Duke from Planet Earth. Landed on the Moon, April 1972."

Duke was active in the Boy Scouts of America, earning the Eagle Scout rank in 1946 and being awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in 1975.

Duke was active in the Boy Scouts of America, earning the Eagle Scout rank in 1946 and being awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in 1975.

Astronaut Charles M. Duke, Jr. — S71-51289 (21 Sept. 1971) — Astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr.
NASA

Charlie Duke at the console in Mission Control — S69-39601 (20 July 1969) — Spacecraft communicators are pictured as they keep in contact with the Apollo 11 astronauts during their lunar landing mission on July 20, 1969. From left to right are astronauts Charles M. Duke Jr., James A. Lovell Jr. and Fred W. Haise Jr.
NASA

Charlie Duke on a lunar EVA in 1972 — AS16-114-18423 (21 April 1972) — Astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot, is photographed collecting lunar samples at Station No. 1, during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA), at the Descartes landing site. This picture, looking eastward, was taken by astronaut John W. Young, commander. Duke is standing at the rim of Plum Crater. The parked Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) can be seen in the left background. While astronauts Young and Duke descended in the Lunar Module (LM) “Orion” to explore the Descartes highlands region of the moon, astronaut Thomas K. Mattingly II, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) “Casper” in lunar orbit.
NASA

Charlie Duke and John Young doing lunar EVA training in the desert — S71-59355 (17-18 Nov. 1971) — Astronauts John W. Young, right, prime crew commander for Apollo 16, and Charles M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot, study rock formations along their simulated lunar traverse route. The prime and backup commanders and lunar module pilots for Apollo 16 took part in the two-day geology field trip and simulations in the Coso Range, near Ridgecrest, California, about 160 miles north by northeast of Los Angeles. The training and simulations were conducted Nov. 17 and 18, 1971, at the U.S. Naval Ordnance Test Station.
NASA

Charlie Duke and his wife see the SLS core stage at KSC in 2021 — From left to right, Lili Villareal, Operations Flow Manager, Exploration Ground Systems; Charlie Duke, NASA Astronaut (former); and Dottie Duke, wife of Charlie Duke, view the massive Space Launch System (SLS) core stage in Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in Florida on May 10, 2021. Inside the VAB, the SLS core stage is being prepared for integration with the completed stack of twin solid rocket boosters atop the mobile launcher ahead of the Artemis I launch. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.
NASA

Biography

Charles M. Duke, Jr.

Charles M. Duke, Jr., was chosen as a NASA astronaut in April 1966. He served as lunar module pilot for Apollo 16, logging 265 hours in space and over 21 hours of extravehicular activity from April 16-27, 1972.

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All Crewed Missions

Apollo 16

Three primary objectives of the Apollo 16 mission were (1) to inspect, survey, and sample materials and surface features at a selected landing site in the Descartes region; (2) emplace…

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Apollo 16: Nothing So Hidden

This film shows the landing and the three lunar traverses in the highland region of the Moon, near the crater Descartes. It includes an astronaut’s eye view from the rover, lunar grand prix, discovery of the house-sized rock, lunar lift-off and EVA 173,000 miles above the Earth. Microphones and cameras in mission control record the emergency problem solving during the prelanding crisis and the reactions of scientists on Earth as the astronauts explore the Moon.

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Charles M. Duke Jr.

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NASA History

Oral History

Charles M. Duke, Jr., participated in an oral history interview in March 1999. In the interview he discussed his early life and his days with the Apollo program.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Apollo/Saturn V Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Apollo astronaut Charlie Duke shares his experiences with spectators crowd gathered for NASA’s 40th Anniversary of Apollo Celebration of the July 1969 launch and landing on the Moon.

Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Learn More About Charlie Duke's Work at NASA

Read about Duke's experiences as a NASA astronaut for the Apollo 16 mission.

7 min read

Following their April 27, 1972 splashdown that ended their successful 11-day Moon landing mission, Apollo 16 astronauts John W. Young,…

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5 min read

On April 27, 1972, Apollo 16 astronauts John W. Young, Thomas K. “Ken” Mattingly, and Charles M. Duke successfully ended…

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9 min read

On April 23, 1972, following three days exploring the Descartes highlands site on the Moon, Apollo 16 astronauts John W.…

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