Charles Duke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Duke
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Duke in September 1971
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| Born |
Charles Moss Duke Jr.
October 3, 1935 |
| Awards |
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| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Brigadier General, USAF |
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Time in space
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11d 1h 51m |
| Selection | NASA Group 5 (1966) |
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Total EVAs
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3 |
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Total EVA time
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21h 38m |
| Missions | Apollo 16 |
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Mission insignia
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| Retirement | January 1, 1976 |
Charles Moss Duke Jr. (born October 3, 1935) is a former American astronaut, officer in the United States Air Force (USAF), and test pilot. In 1972, he was the pilot of the Apollo Lunar Module for the Apollo 16 mission. At 36 years old, he became the tenth and youngest person to ever walk on the Moon. He is one of only four Moon walkers still alive today.
After graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1957, Duke joined the Air Force. He trained to fly the F-86 Sabre jet and served for three years as a fighter pilot in West Germany. Later, he became an instructor at the Aerospace Research Pilot School, where he taught other pilots how to fly advanced jets like the F-104 Starfighter.
In 1966, Duke was chosen to be part of NASA's fifth group of astronauts. He was part of the support crew for Apollo 10. For the historic Apollo 11 mission, he served as the CAPCOM, the person in Mission Control who speaks directly to the astronauts. His voice became famous around the world when he spoke to the crew after they landed on the Moon. He said, "Roger, Twank...Tranquility, we copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot!"
Duke was also the backup Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 13. Before the mission, he caught German measles from a friend's child. This meant the original command module pilot, Ken Mattingly, had to be replaced because he wasn't immune. Mattingly later flew with Duke on Apollo 16. During that mission, Duke and John Young landed on the Moon and performed three moonwalks. Duke retired from NASA in 1976 and from the Air Force as a brigadier general in 1986.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Charles Moss Duke Jr. was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 3, 1935. He had an identical twin brother, William (Bill). As a boy, Duke loved building model airplanes and was an Eagle Scout. He decided he wanted a military career like his father, who had served in the Navy.
Duke wanted to attend the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. To prepare, he went to the Admiral Farragut Academy, a military prep school in Florida. He passed the entrance exam and was accepted into the Naval Academy's class of 1957.
At the academy, Duke discovered he enjoyed flying more than being on a ship. At the time, up to a quarter of the graduates could choose to join the United States Air Force. Duke chose the Air Force, especially after a physical exam revealed he had a slight vision problem that would have stopped him from being a Navy pilot. He graduated in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Career in the Air Force
After graduating, Duke began his flight training. He learned to fly propeller planes and then moved on to jets like the T-33 Shooting Star. He was an excellent student and got to choose his assignment. He chose to become a fighter pilot with the 526th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Ramstein Air Base in West Germany. This was during the Cold War, and his squadron was always ready to intercept unknown aircraft.
_Test_Pilot_School_(TPS)_Class_64C.jpg)
After three years in Europe, Duke decided to continue his education. He earned a Master of Science degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1964. While in Boston, he met and married Dorothy (Dotty) Meade Claiborne in 1963.
Next, Duke attended the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS) at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The school was run by the famous pilot Chuck Yeager. After graduating in 1965, Duke stayed on as an instructor, teaching other pilots about flight control systems.
Joining NASA
Selection and Training
In 1965, Duke saw an article that NASA was looking for new astronauts. He realized he met all the requirements and applied. After a series of difficult medical and psychological tests, he was interviewed by a panel that included famous astronauts like Deke Slayton and Alan Shepard. In April 1966, Duke was officially selected as one of the 19 new astronauts in NASA's fifth astronaut group.
Duke and his family moved to Texas, near the Manned Spacecraft Center. His training included classes on astronomy and spacecraft systems. A big part of the training was geology. Astronauts took field trips to places like the Grand Canyon and Meteor Crater to learn how to identify important rocks on the Moon.
Working on the Apollo Program
Duke became a specialist for the Apollo Lunar Module (LM), the spacecraft that would land on the Moon. He helped oversee the development of its engines. In 1969, he was part of the support crew for Apollo 10, which was a dress rehearsal for the first Moon landing.
For the Apollo 11 mission, commander Neil Armstrong asked Duke to be the CAPCOM during the lunar landing. As CAPCOM, Duke was the main voice from Mission Control communicating with the crew. His Southern accent became famous as he guided the crew through a tense landing.
Apollo 13 and a Change of Plans
Duke was assigned to the backup crew for Apollo 13, along with John Young and Ken Mattingly. This meant they were scheduled to be the main crew for Apollo 16. However, just before the Apollo 13 launch, Duke caught German measles.
Lovell and Haise, two of the prime crew members, were immune, but Mattingly was not. To be safe, NASA replaced Mattingly with the backup pilot, Jack Swigert. The Apollo 13 mission later suffered a major explosion, and the crew had to work with Mission Control to return safely to Earth. Duke, Young, and Mattingly all helped develop the emergency procedures from the ground.
Apollo 16: Walking on the Moon
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Training and Delays
Young, Mattingly, and Duke were officially named the crew of Apollo 16. Their mission was to land in the Descartes Highlands, a rugged area of the Moon that scientists thought was formed by volcanoes.
Training was intense. They practiced landing in a simulator and drove a training version of the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). Just a few months before the launch, Duke became very ill with pneumonia. He worried he might be replaced, but several technical problems with the spacecraft caused the launch to be delayed. This gave him enough time to recover.
On April 16, 1972, Apollo 16 launched. Duke's identical twin brother, Bill, was at the launch. The day before, a NASA manager thought he saw Duke breaking quarantine by the hotel pool, but it was actually Bill.
The Journey to the Moon
The trip to the Moon went smoothly at first. But once in lunar orbit, the crew faced problems. A key part of the Command Module's engine malfunctioned, causing the spacecraft to shake violently. Mission Control had to decide if it was safe to land. After several hours, they found a way to work around the problem and gave Young and Duke the "go" for landing.
Exploring the Lunar Surface
On April 21, 1972, Young and Duke landed their Lunar Module, named Orion, on the Moon. Duke stepped out after Young, becoming the tenth person to walk on the lunar surface.
They spent over 71 hours on the Moon, including more than 20 hours outside the LM. They set up science experiments, drove the LRV over 16 miles (26 km), and collected nearly 213 pounds (97 kg) of rocks and soil. The surface was much rougher than on previous missions.
Before leaving, Duke tried to set a high jump record in the Moon's low gravity. He jumped high but fell over backward onto his life support backpack. Luckily, his suit did not break, which could have been a very dangerous situation.
Return to Earth
Duke left two special items on the Moon. One was a photo of his family, wrapped in plastic. On the back, it said: "This is the family of Astronaut Duke from Planet Earth, who landed on the Moon on the twentieth of April 1972." He also left a medal celebrating the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force.
On the way back to Earth, Mattingly performed a deep-space EVA to retrieve film from the outside of the spacecraft. The crew splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean on April 27. Duke served as a backup for Apollo 17 but never flew in space again. He retired from NASA in 1976.
Life After NASA
After leaving NASA, Duke entered the Air Force Reserve and was promoted to brigadier general in 1979. He retired from the military in 1986. He also started several businesses, including a beverage distributorship and a real estate company.
In 1978, Duke became a committed Christian. He has said that his faith helped him become a better husband and father. He and his wife, Dotty, are active in Christian ministry and live in New Braunfels, Texas.
Duke has received many awards, including the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal. He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997 and the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2019.
In Popular Culture
Duke has been featured in documentaries, books, and podcasts about the Apollo program. In 2018, a country music song called "Charlie Duke Took Country Music To The Moon" was released. It tells the true story of how Duke brought cassette tapes of country music with him on Apollo 16.
He has been portrayed by actors in several TV shows, including the 1998 miniseries From the Earth to the Moon and the 2019 series For All Mankind.
See also
In Spanish: Charles M. Duke para niños
