Charles Moss Duke, Jr. (born October 3, 1935) was the 10th man to walk on the surface of the moon. He was raised in Lancaster, SC and attended Lancaster High School before going on to graduate valedictorian at Admiral Farragut Academy, attend the US Naval Academy, Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School, and receive a master of science degree in Aeronautics from M.I.T.Duke served as lunar module pilot of Apollo 16, the first scientific expedition to inspect, survey, and sample materials and surface features in the Descartes region of the rugged lunar highlands. Accompanying Duke on the fifth manned lunar landing mission were John W. Young (spacecraft commander) and Thomas K. Mattingly II (command module pilot).
Duke and Young commenced their record-setting lunar surface stay of 71 hours and 14 minutes by maneuvering the lunar module "Orion" to a landing on the rough Cayley Plains. In three subsequent excursions onto the lunar surface, they each logged 20 hours and 15 minutes in extravehicular activities involving the emplacement and activation of scientific equipment and experiments, the collection of nearly 213 pounds of rock and soil samples, and the evaluation and use of Rover-2 over the roughest and blockiest surface yet encountered on the moon.
Other Apollo 16 achievements included: the largest payload placed in lunar orbit (76,109 pounds); first cosmic ray detector deployed on lunar surface; first lunar observatory with the far UV camera; and longest in-flight EVA from a command module during trans-earth coast (1 hour and 13 minutes).
NASA Biography
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- Served as member of the astronaut support crew for the Apollo 10 flight.
- Served as CAPCOM for Apollo 11 (the first landing on the moon).
- Served as backup lunar module pilot on Apollo 13.
- Served as lunar module pilot of Apollo 16 and was 10th man to walk on the moon. He is the youngest of only twelve men who have walked on the moon.
- Served as backup lunar module pilot for Apollo 17.
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