CHAPTER SUMMARIES
​
Inside Apollo 16:
Man’s First Journey to the Lunar Highlands
Part One – To Tranquility Base
Prelude. “The Voyage Man Has Always Dreamed About”
(Apollo 11 Launch Day)
Walter Cronkite begins the CBS Apollo 11 launch-day telecast: “Man embarks today on history’s greatest adventure.” Among those on hand to watch the mammoth Saturn V liftoff is 33-year-old astronaut Charlie Duke, whose voice will be forever linked to the dramatic moments surrounding the first lunar landing four days later. Duke is more than a spectator. He is heavily involved in the preparation for the mission, representing the crew in important meetings during the hectic months leading up to the launch.
​
One. “Things Were Different Then”
(1957-1963, Sputnik Through President Kennedy)
​The Space Age begins October 4, 1957 when the Soviet Union launches the first satellite, Sputnik 1. The Soviets consistently lead the United States in space achievements. Young President John F. Kennedy needs a way to overtake the Soviets. As he deals with fallout from defeat at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba, Kennedy challenges the country: “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.”
​
Two. “The Program Manager”
(Sam Phillips, Configuration Control, All-Up Testing)
​By 1963, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is floundering. NASA excels in technology, but has no experience with managing large programs. They bring in the best Program Manager they know, General Sam Phillips of the U.S. Air Force, who implements changes that lead to the United States winning the space race and meeting President Kennedy’s end-of-decade deadline.
​
Three. “U.S.S. Molly Brown”
(Gemini III)
​Veteran Mercury astronaut Gus Grissom is paired with rookie John Young to fly the first manned Gemini mission, Gemini III. Future Moon landings require rendezvous and docking in space. Gemini III demonstrates the ability to adjust its orbital altitude and plane, the first time in history such maneuvers have been accomplished. Later Gemini flights achieve more milestones such as Neil Armstrong completing the first docking between two spacecraft on Gemini VIII.
Four. “They’ve Done A Lot of Work Getting Ready for This One”
(Gemini X)
​John Young suits up for his second Gemini flight. Michael Collins joins Young for the very complicated Gemini X mission, which involves several rendezvous events as well as two spacewalks by Collins. NASA perfected the art of rendezvous and docking, and on the final Gemini flight, Buzz Aldrin shows that EVAs can be performed successfully.
​
Five. “New Astronauts”
(Mattingly, Duke, Roosa)
​A new group of astronauts are selected in the class of 1966, including Ken Mattingly and Charlie Duke. After months of academic classes, they are given engineering assignments. Mattingly works with space suits, while Duke and his best friend Stu Roosa oversee development of the Saturn V launch vehicle. As the scheduled Apollo flights draw near, the Command Module and Service Module are facing serious issues and fall behind schedule.
​
Six. “Shaken To Their Core”
(The Fire, George Low, 1967 Part One)
​Tragedy strikes on January 27, 1967. Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee perish when fire erupts inside the Apollo 1 Command Module during a launch pad test a few weeks before their flight. NASA responds by overhauling the Command Module, and improving its organization.
​
Seven. “Excess Eleven”
(Tony England, Scientist-Astronauts, 1967 Part Two)
​In August 1967, NASA announces is 6th class of astronauts. This group is comprised of scientists like Tony England, the youngest astronaut ever selected by NASA at 25 years of age. After five months of rigorous academic training, they are sent off for 53 weeks of flight school where they excel. 1967 ends on a positive note with the November 9 all-up test of unmanned Apollo 4, the first Saturn V to fly.
​
Eight. “The Year That Shattered America”
(1968)
​The Smithsonian Magazine calls 1968 “The Year That Shattered America.” The political scene is such a mess that President Johnson decides not to run for re-election. The nation needs something good to happen, and NASA delivers. George Low makes a proposal to rearrange the Apollo flight schedule assigning Apollo 8 to orbit the Moon in December.
​
Nine. “Paul Haney, Are You A Turtle?”
(Apollo 7)
​Apollo 7 is the first manned Apollo mission, a shakedown of the Command and Service Modules. The few minor problems encountered are either solved during the flight or fixed for future missions. The flight is a technical success, and certifies that the Command and Service Modules are ready for a lunar voyage.
Ten. “In The Beginning, God…”
(Apollo 8)
​For many in NASA, Apollo 8 is THE mission. Ken Mattingly, who was also involved with Apollo 11, Apollo 13, and Apollo 16, says “Being part of Apollo 8 made everything else anticlimactic.” Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders become the first humans to orbit the Moon. During a Christmas Eve broadcast with over one billion people listening, they read from the first chapter of Genesis, a stunning experience which leaves no dry eye in Mission Control.
​
Eleven. “Stroking Test”
(Apollo 9)
​Less than 10 weeks after Apollo 8 completed its mission, it is time for Apollo 9, the first test of the Lunar Module. The complicated mission involves two spacecraft in low-Earth orbit, simulating every possible scenario that later flights may encounter. Both the Lunar Module and Command Module perform well, and Apollo is now ready for a dress rehearsal of the lunar landing.
​
Twelve. “Hey Snoop, Air Force Guys Don’t Talk That Way”
(Apollo 10)
​Tom Stafford, John Young, and Gene Cernan crew Apollo 10, which simulates every aspect of the Apollo 11 mission, except the lunar landing. As the Lunar Module sweeps near the Moon, a switch in a wrong position sends the LM diving and spinning wildly, and the quick-thinking astronauts manage to get the spacecraft under control. The overall mission is a success, and the stage is set for the first landing attempt.
​
Thirteen. “We Should Have Come Up with a Better Failure”
(Mission Rules, Training Simulations)
​In preparing for missions, flight controllers endure rigorous simulations of the missions. In the final sim before Apollo 11, the trainers introduce an unexpected computer alarm which causes young Guidance officer Steve Bales to call an abort. It is the wrong decision since the computer’s auto-pilot was still working. Flight Director Gene Kranz calls Bales and his assistants to develop a list of every possible computer alarm and how to deal with them.
​
Fourteen. “You’ll Never Beat Out The Thunderbirds”
(Apollo 11 launch, 1st TV Broadcast)
​Apollo 11 launches July 16, 1969. Everything runs smoothly on the trip out to the Moon. The second day of the mission contains a television broadcast with Charlie Duke as CAPCOM. The astronauts show their entertaining side and bring the viewers with them on their trip to the Moon.
​
Fifteen. “If That's Not The Earth, We’re In Trouble”
(Apollo 11 2nd TV Broadcast)
​The uneventful journey continues on the third day. Once again the highlight of the day is an early-evening telecast from 175,000 miles away. A relaxed Charlie Duke is CAPCOM, and the light-hearted crew puts on a very enjoyable show. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin take the watching world on a detailed tour of the Lunar Module Eagle.
​
Sixteen. “So That's What He Was Doing With The World Book”
(Apollo 11 Lunar Orbit)
​Apollo 11 arrives in lunar orbit Saturday, July 19, 1969. The crew is amazed at the up-close views of the Moon. They televise the ground path leading to the landing site, with Armstrong serving as tour guide.
​
Seventeen. “A Guy Named Bob White Came Up With This Weird Thing
And We Thought He Was Crazy”
(Apollo 11, Preparation For Powered Descent)
​Apollo 11’s landing day begins with Armstrong and Aldrin going through the complicated process of powering up the Lunar Module Eagle. Then Guidance officer Steve Bales begins what he anticipates to be his most stressful event of the day, evaluating health of the LM guidance system. To Bales’ great relief, tests show the guidance system to be healthy, and his largest concern is behind him. Or so he thinks.
​
Eighteen. “A Slow-Motion Wreck”
(1st Lunar Landing)
​The dramatic 12-minute descent from 50,000 feet to the lunar surface is so daunting that many within NASA believe it will be Apollo 12, not Apollo 11, which will accomplish the first successful landing. Half way into the descent, a computer program alarm rings in the cabin, similar to what occurred in the final simulation. As Steve Bales hears Armstrong’s voice asking about the status of the alarm, he tells Flight Director Gene Kranz to “Go” with the descent. Computer alarms rock the cabin several more times, but Bales tells Kranz to continue. As Duke radios the diminishing fuel time remaining, Neil Armstrong lands with 17 seconds to spare. Everyone in Mission control starts breathing again.
​
Nineteen. “A Lesson for Some of Us Like Me”
(After Touchdown)
​Flight controllers monitor the Lunar Module Eagle after touchdown, and determine the systems look good enough to stay on the Moon. Armstrong and Aldrin adjust quickly to the 1/6 gravity and decide to forego their scheduled rest period before the first Moonwalk. They receive permission to do so, causing tracking stations in Australia to scramble as they desperately try to receive signals much sooner than scheduled. The Moonwalk lasts two hours and is a monumental success.
​
Twenty. “I Am Like A Nervous Bride”
(Rendezvous With Command Module)
​Twenty minutes before lunar liftoff, MIT discovers what caused the computer alarms during the landing. After conferring with them, Bales requests a switch setting change so that it won’t cause the same problem during the ascent. Armstrong and Aldrin successfully ascend from the Moon and rendezvous with Mike Collins in the Command Module.
Twenty-One. “The Spacecraft Gave A Little Jump
As It Went Through The Sphere”
(Apollo 11 Return Home)
​The crew leaves the lunar sphere of influence and Earth’s gravity is once again the dominant force on the spacecraft. The relaxed crew plays a prank on Mission Control, broadcasting “a jangling cacophony of bells, whistles, shrieks, and unidentifiable sounds” over the communication loop. The final night of the mission, the astronauts take to the airwaves again to describe their impressions of the previous eight days, thanking the hundreds of thousands of people who made it possible.
​
Twenty-Two. “The Best Ship To Come Down The Line.
God Bless Her”
(Apollo 11 After Splashdown)
​After Apollo 11 successfully returns to Earth, the crew enters three weeks of quarantine in case germs are brought back from the Moon. Afterward they are honored at a State Dinner hosted by President Nixon. A Group Achievement Award is presented to the Apollo 11 Mission Operations Team, accepted by Steve Bales. The astronauts give patriotic and emotional speeches expressing their appreciation for the heart-felt greetings they received all over the country.
​
Twenty-Three. “Great Job, General Sam”
(Congress, World Tour, General Phillips)
​With the successful return of Apollo 11, President Kennedy’s goal is fulfilled and General Sam Phillips’ mission at NASA is complete. Soon he will return to the Air Force. As Phillips and his family drive up to the NASA Headquarters in Washington for an Apollo 11 celebration, they are surprised to see a large banner high on the building. It simply reads, “GREAT JOB GENERAL SAM!”
​
Twenty-Four. “Emil Schiesser”
(Apollo 12, Pinpoint Landing)
​After Apollo 11 touched down several miles beyond its target, Sam Phillips tells Bill Tindall, “On the next mission, I want a pinpoint landing.” A brilliant mathematician named Emil Schiesser develops a way to determine where the Lunar Module guidance system is going to land based on the location of Powered Descent Initiation (PDI). By adding a single entry into the computer during the descent, the coordinates of the landing site are adjusted to compensate for the projected error. Apollo 12 lands with pinpoint accuracy, and the technique is used for all future lunar missions.
​
Twenty-Five. “After the Moon Landing”
(Steve Bales, Jerry Bostick, And CBS)
Flight controller Steve Bales learns many valuable lessons during the Apollo 11 adventure. Bales disagreed with Neil Armstrong who wanted to look at the lunar surface at the beginning of the descent instead of having the landing radar aimed at the Moon. After Armstrong’s successful landing, Bales concludes, “There’s a lesson to be learned. Sometimes you think you know what you’re doing is right, and someone does it a different way, and it works out to where you’re glad they did it their way.”
​
Part Two – To The Descartes Highlands
Twenty-Six. “Lee Silver, Farouk El-Baz”
(Apollo 13 Training)
The Apollo 13 training cycle marks a shift toward a scientific emphasis on lunar missions. Scientist-astronaut Jack Schmitt arranges a meeting between his former geology professor Lee Silver and Apollo 13 astronauts Jim Lovell and Fred Haise. The meeting goes well, and Silver takes Lovell, Haise, plus backup crew members John Young and Charlie Duke on a week-long a geology boot camp in the Orocopia Mountains of California. At the same time, geologist Farouk El-Baz develops a friendship with Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly as they prepare for the orbital geology Mattingly will perform while Lovell and Haise are walking on the Moon.
​
Twenty-Seven. “A Harsh Reminder
Of The Immense Difficulty of This Undertaking”
(Apollo 13, Part One)
The highly anticipated scientific mission has an ominous start as Charlie Duke contracts German measles a week before the flight. Ken Mattingly does not have immunity, and is replaced by Jack Swigert the day before launch. On the way to the Moon, an Oxygen tank explodes in the Service Module, crippling the spacecraft. Mission Control and the astronauts scramble to gain control of the situation. The crew powers down the Command Module and enters the Lunar Module as a lifeboat.
Twenty-Eight. “If You Can’t Take Any Better Care of a Spacecraft
Than That, We May Not Give You Another One”
(Apollo 13, Part Two)
Apollo 13 swings around the Moon, headed for Earth. The crew works with Houston to overcome obstacle after obstacle to get the spacecraft home safely. After several corrections to the trajectory, the spacecraft enters Earth’s atmosphere and the communication blackout lasts much longer than expected, causing great angst in Houston and around the world. Finally CAPCOM Joe Kerwin is able to contact the crew, and cheers erupt in Mission Control as the Command Module splashes down in the Pacific beneath three glorious parachutes.
​
Twenty-Nine. “We Have Reluctantly Concluded”
(Cancelled Missions, Apollo 16 Training Begins)
John Young, Ken Mattingly, and Charlie Duke begin training for Apollo 16 soon after the Apollo 13 mission. After two more Apollo missions are cancelled, the backup crew is shuffled to consist of Fred Haise, Stu Roosa, and Ed Mitchell. The Descartes Highland area is now a frontrunner for the Apollo 16 exploration.
​
Thirty. “Volcanoes or Impacts?”
(Apollo 16 Training, Geology)
Discussions about the Apollo 16 landing site involve a longstanding debate about the formation of lunar features, whether they are primarily caused by volcanoes or meteorite impacts. The same argument raged over the formation of Meteor Crater in Arizona until 1960, when Edward Chao and Gene Shoemaker prove that Meteor Crater was indeed formed by a meteorite impact by identifying the presence of coesite, a dense form of quartz produced by high pressure and temperature. Their work at Meteor Crater is ground-breaking, the first time a terrestrial crater is proven to be formed by meteorite impact. Shoemaker believes the lunar craters are also formed by impacts.
​
Thirty-One. “That Was the End of My Flying with Astronauts”
(Geology Field Trips And Orbital Geology Training)
Geology training continues. By the time they visit Kilbourne Hole, New Mexico in early 1971, the field trips have evolved into full-scale simulations of the EVAs to be performed on the lunar surface. A simulated geologic backroom is set up, with Tony England as CAPCOM. Afterward the geologists walk through the area with the astronauts. Meanwhile, Farouk El-Baz works with Ken Mattingly on his orbital observation skills. On May 5, 1971 the Apollo Site Selection Board officially decides on the Descartes region for the Apollo 16 landing site.
​
Thirty-Two. “Put in Some Failures and See What We Can Handle”
(Contractors, Lunar Surface Training)
One of the most time-consuming elements of the first year of training involves overseeing the development of the Lunar Roving Vehicle and modifications on the Service Module. Its Science Instrument Module (SIM) bay contains a mapping camera, panoramic camera and several spectrometers for the final three Apollo missions. The flight hardware arrives at Cape Kennedy from manufacturers, and is assembled in the massive Vehicle Assembly Building, stacked on a mobile launcher with a red umbilical tower. On December 13, 1971, the entire space vehicle plus the mobile launch platform and tower are transported by a crawler-transporter to Launch Complex 39-A.
​
Thirty-Three. “Bushels of Kinfolk”
(December 1971-April 1972, Duke’s Raiders)
Ken Mattingly is at the Cape for the December 13 rollout to see the space vehicle moved to the launch pad. A series of problems with the rocket emerge, and it has to be rolled back into the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs. The second rollout occurs on Wednesday, February 9, allowing John Young, Charlie Duke, and Duke’s family to witness the event. Duke’s children get the red carpet treatment from NASA and the family has a wonderful experience. Final preparations are made for the space vehicle and astronauts as the launch weekend approaches.
​
Thirty-Four. “Typhoid Mary”
(April 16, 1972, Pre-Launch)
The Apollo 16 crew begins launch day with the typical routine of pre-flight physical, breakfast, and suiting up. Tony England is part of Guenter Wendt’s closeout crew as they prepare the Command Module and assist the astronauts on board the spacecraft. Charlie Duke’s family is at the Cape for the launch, along with half of the state of South Carolina. Ken Mattingly’s family is also there, with the exception of his wife Elizabeth who is in Houston expecting the arrival of their first child. John Young’s family gathers at his parents’ home in Orlando, where they will watch the blast off from the back yard then go inside to watch on television.
​
​
Thirty-Five. “Holding On”
(Apollo 16 Launch)
The ignition sequence for the engines begins 8.9 seconds before liftoff. Four massive hold-down arms keep the mighty rocket in place until all the engines reach full power, a combined 7.7 million pounds of thrust. At that moment, the hold-down arms swing back and the 6.5 million pound stack slowly begins to rise. LIFTOFF!! The violence startles Charlie Duke, who thinks the rocket is shaking to pieces below him: “If anyone ever wonders what an astronaut is doing at lift-off, this astronaut was holding on!”
​
Thirty-Six. “Isaac Newton”
(Apollo 16 Earth Orbit)
Once in Earth orbit, the crew and flight controllers are busy for two-and-a-half hours checking the spacecraft systems before reigniting the S-IVB third stage engine, sending them to the Moon. Mattingly aligns the Command Module guidance system using stars, and they prepare for the Translunar Injection (TLI). The burn lasts almost six minutes, changing the circular orbit to a large elliptical orbit with an apogee (high point) of approximately 240,000 miles, at which point the spacecraft will intercept the Moon.
​
Thirty-Seven. “That’s The Guy I Don’t Want to Hit”
(Apollo 16 Translunar Coast)
On the way to the Moon, Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly separates the Command and Service Module from the third stage, pivots, returns to the Lunar Module Orion and docks. The crew sees particles streaming from Orion and reports it to Mission Control. Mattingly shows the debris to Houston on television while Young and Duke inspect the LM from inside the cabin. Mission Control examines the telemetry and checks the systems; nothing looks out of the ordinary.
​
Thirty-Eight. “Charlie Duke Took Country Music To The Moon”
(Day 2-3)
Day two is relatively quiet. The steady pace is a welcomed break, and gives the crew a chance to review the checklists and procedures that will guide them during the busy days ahead. Mattingly spends many hours recording himself reading instructions into the tape recorder. Playing back those recordings will allow him to perform his tasks without having to stop and read what comes next on the flight plan when he is in solo orbit while Young and Duke are on the Moon.
​
Thirty-Nine. “The Maneuver Where
The Sim Bay Door Jettisons The Spacecraft”
(Day 4, Part One)
As the crew wakes on Wednesday morning, day four, the Moon is now the dominant gravitational force, not Earth. Apollo 16 is only 11,000 miles from the Moon, approaching at 4,000 feet-per-second. It is time to remove the panel on the Service Module which protects the Scientific Instrument Module (SIM) bay. “Man alive” shouts Duke as the charge detonates. The jettison has to occur before the spacecraft enters lunar orbit so that the door would loop around the Moon and head toward Earth, instead of orbiting the Moon and being a nuisance.
​
Forty. “Could We Get Duke To Confirm
That's Really The Moon And Not Earth You’re Looking At”
(Day 4, Part Two, Lunar Orbit Insertion)
After lunch, the crew continues checking the spacecraft systems to make sure everything is functioning well before performing the next significant maneuver, the Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI). The LOI burn takes place on the far side of the Moon, and successfully places Apollo 16 in lunar orbit. Later the crew performs a Descent Orbit Insertion maneuver to change their orbit to a 58 by 11 mile high ellipse. The next day the landing attempt will begin from the low point of that orbit.
​
Forty-One. “You’ve Got to Drink Fast”
(Day 5, Undocked)
John Young, Ken Mattingly, and Charlie Duke have had many laughs so far on their journey, but they are all business now. The major events of this hectic 23-hour work day include the activation of the Lunar Module, undocking and separation of the two spacecraft, a circularization maneuver by Casper, the lunar landing by Orion, preparation for the first EVA (moonwalk) by Young and Duke, the seven hour exploration on the lunar surface, and post EVA activities. The day does not go as expected.
​
Forty-Two. “Do You Reckon Light Bends”
(Day 5, Circularization Issue)
Before a critical maneuver, Mattingly discovers oscillations in the Service Module engine. Mission Rules say that the maneuver cannot occur unless the engine is working normally. The crewmen are devastated, and fear the landing will be called off. Flight Director Gerry Griffin mobilizes a vast array of assets around the country in an attempt to understand the problem.
​
Forty-Three. “Take THAT You Guys”
(Gerry Griffin)
Gerry Griffin is used to the hot seat. He was the Flight Director during the launch phase of Apollo 12, when the space vehicle was struck by lightning 36 seconds after launch. He continued the mission throughout the chaos until the team found a way to get the telemetry displays under control, and Apollo 12 turned out to be a very successful mission. Once again, Griffin trusts his team who tells him the Apollo 16 mission can proceed with the landing. Mission Control radios up the good news to the relieved astronauts.
​
Forty-Four. “For An Air Force Pilot, It Seemed Like A Crash”
(Day 5, Powered Descent)
Due to orbital drift during the delay, the Lunar Module Orion begins its powered descent from a point 16,000 feet high and 20,000 feet south of the planned starting point. After ignition, the onboard computer quickly corrects the altitude and within six minutes Orion is on its planned landing profile. Nine-and-a-half minutes into the descent, the Lunar Module pitches over to give the astronauts their first view of the landing area. John Young makes corrections to the onboard guidance system, takes manual control 300 feet above the lunar surface, and Orion touches down in the target area.
Forty-Five. “Symphonie Fantastique vs. Old Paint”
(Day 5, Post Landing Activities)
Orion touches down at 8:23 p.m. Houston time, meaning the first moonwalk will be delayed until the next morning. 60 miles above, Ken Mattingly orbits alone. While on the far side of the Moon, he is separated from the rest of humanity. The isolation offers a quiet break from the busyness and chatter that occur on the front side passes.
​
Forty-Six. “Back In The Briar Patch”
(Day 6, EVA 1, Preliminaries)
The next morning, Young and Duke prepare for their Extravehicular Activity (EVA) and slip into their spacesuits, a process that takes an hour. Young backs out of the small hatch and carefully makes his way down the ladder, while Duke playfully hollers, “Hey, John, hurry up!!” Young wastes no time stepping onto the Moon, proclaiming, “There you are, our mysterious and unknown Descartes Highland plains. Apollo 16 is gonna change your image.” He knows if their geological work goes well, scientific understanding of the Moon will be advanced significantly. Duke soon joins him, and they deploy the Lunar Rover, plant the American flag, and take photographs.
​
Forty-Seven. “Even the Craters Have Craters”
(Day 6, EVA 1, ALSEP)
Young and Duke begin setting up experiments, but one of John Young’s boots becomes tangled with a cable and tears it from its connector before realizing what is happening. The Heat Flow experiment is ruined, and the astronauts are devastated. After setting up the other experiments, the crew grabs some interesting rocks from the area, commenting that they see mostly breccias, rocks formed by impacts.
​
Forty-Eight. “Were They All Breccias?”
(Day 6, EVA 1, Drive To Station 1)
Having deployed the major experiments, Young and Duke travel west in the Rover to designated craters of interest. The scientists become concerned because the rocks collected and described are all breccias, not the expected volcanic rocks. CAPCOM Tony England asks Duke, “Have you seen any rocks that you're certain aren't breccias?” Duke responds, “Negative.”
​
Forty-Nine. “That's 20 Pounds Of Rock”
(Day 6, EVA 1, Station 1)
Young and Duke arrive at Station 1, and park the Rover beside Plum crater which is on the southeastern rim of the much larger Flag crater. As the allotted time there draws to a close, the astronauts head back to the Rover. In the foreground of the TV image, geologists led by Bill Muehlberger see an intriguing rock on the rim of the crater, and England asks the astronauts to collect it. As they approach, Young and Duke realize it is the size of a football. Charlie decides the best way to collect it is to go down the slope so he can get a good grip under it. “If I fall into Plum Crater getting this rock, Muehlberger has had it,” says Duke. The rock is affectionately named “Big Muley” in honor Muehlberger.
Fifty. “Grand Prix”
(Day 6, EVA 1, Stations 2 And 3)
The location for Geology Station 2 is near Spook and Buster craters, which the crew drove past on their outbound trip to Flag crater. The two men collect samples, run experiments, and photograph their activities. At their last stop, Charlie hops off the Rover and films John Young giving it a full test drive. The astronauts begin the EVA closeout procedures, and carry the rock boxes and camera equipment up the ladder.
​
Fifty-One. “Citrus”
(Day 6, Friday Evening)
After removing their gloves and helmets inside Orion, John and Charlie recharge their PLSS backpacks and go through the rest of the post-EVA checklist. Next comes a short debrief before dinner. After the conversation, John Young is victimized by one of the more famous “hot mic” episodes in Apollo. John thinks he is not broadcasting and is brutally honest about his experience with the Orange Juice and its effect on his digestive system. After the flight, the press corps presents a plaque to the crew with the transcript of the event bordered by oranges on a vine.
​
Fifty-Two. “Well, Its Back To The Drawing Boards…
Or Wherever Geologists Go”
(Day 6, Orbital Geology)
While his crewmates experience their first EVA, Mattingly’s time in lunar orbit is packed with scientific experiments. Much of that involves high-resolution photography with a panoramic camera and mapping camera located in the Service Module. At the end of the day, CAPCOM Hank Hartsfield lets him know about the successful EVA on the lunar surface, noting that they found breccias instead of volcanic rock. Mattingly realizes this turns the hypothesis about volcanic influence on its head and replies, “Well, it's back to the drawing boards… or wherever geologists go.”
​
Fifty-Three. “Have A Swan For Us”
(Day 7, EVA 2, Part One)
The next morning, John Young and Charlie Duke are discussing the day’s activities with CAPCOM Tony England when suddenly the communications drop out. John Saxon, the Operations Manager working the main console at the Honeysuckle Creek tracking station in Australia, immediately realizes what is happening. He madly tries to reestablish lines to Houston while updating the astronauts on the Moon. Later, the EVA begins and Young and Duke drive the Rover up the slopes of Stone Mountain to sample areas of the Descartes formation.
​
Fifty-Four. “The LM is Already Parked”
(Day 7, EVA 2, Part Two)
Houston adjusts the EVA so Young and Duke can spend more time at what was originally designated Station 8, a strategic location for studying ejecta from South Ray crater, a natural drill hole into the lunar crust. After exploring the location, they embark on one of the more interesting sampling techniques to collect some absolutely pristine lunar soil. They call the process “The Great Sneak.” Young successfully performs the maneuver, collects a sample from the surface, then scoops another sample from slightly deeper.
​
Fifty-Five. “When You’ve Got Nothing, A Little Goes A Long Way”
(Day 7, Orbital Geology)
One of the most important scientific instruments onboard Casper is Ken Mattingly himself. There are several visual observation targets of interest along the ground track. He not only photographs them, but gives detailed descriptions to Houston as the sun angle changes from one orbit to the next. In addition to the visual observation and hand-held photography, Ken spends the day performing more panoramic camera and mapping camera operations, plus the Gamma Ray and Mass Spectrometer experiments.
​
Fifty-Six. “If You Come Back Here In Two Weeks… It’ll Be Dark”
(Day 8, EVA 3, Part One)
John and Charlie’s final EVA is focused on North Ray crater, located 4.5 kilometers north of the landing site. After sampling the area, the two men gallop toward a large boulder on the horizon, moving farther and farther away from the Rover. The astronauts finally arrive at the boulder, 25 meters wide and 15 meters tall, the size of a house. Duke radios, “Tony, that's your House Rock right there.” The area proves to be a geologic treasure chest, including a shatter cone, which only occurs underneath meteor impacts. It proves the impact theory and that the large boulder came from the bottom of the crater. Young says, “That settles that.”
​
Fifty-Seven. “There Go All Those Omega Parties”
(Day 8, EVA 3, Part Two)
For the next stop, Station 13, Young parks the Rover near a large boulder with a pronounced overhang, realizing it has permanently shadowed soil, allowing geologists to study soil that was not exposed to the Sun’s rays. They return to the Lunar Module, where Charlie Duke takes a minute for some personal matters. He places a photograph of his family on the lunar surface, and also leaves an Air Force medallion on the Moon. Young drives the Rover east behind the LM so that Mission Control would have a good angle to film the ascent. At 3:00 p.m. they climb up the ladder and into Orion for the last time.
​
Fifty-Eight. “Rendezvous With Venus”
(Day 8, Lunar Liftoff Through Docking)
10 minutes before liftoff, Young and Duke don their helmets and gloves, and watch the computer display as it counts down their remaining time on the Moon. Just before liftoff, when cued by the display, Duke presses “Proceed” and the engine suddenly comes to life. The descent stage acts as a launch pad, with gold foil and other debris scattering dramatically in all directions due to the engine’s blast. After seven minutes, the ascent engine shuts down right on time. Two hours and ten minutes after lunar liftoff, the two spacecraft dock and the crew transfers samples from the LM into the CM, including an invasion of Moon dust.
​
Fifty-Nine. “We’ll Miss Her”
(Day 9, LM Jettison, TEI)
The next morning the crew jettisons the Lunar Module and turns its full attention to the Trans-Earth Injection. Houston gives Mattingly the final set of calculations for the burn which will send them toward Earth. The Service Module engine performs flawlessly on the far side of the Moon, and the two-minute forty-two second TEI burn is successful. Apollo 16 speeds away from the Moon and begins its long coast home.
​
Sixty. “First Time Anybody Ever Laid It on The Line For A Microbe”
(Day 10, Ken’s EVA)
As Apollo 16 heads toward Earth, Ken Mattingly performs an Extra Vehicular Activity to retrieve film canisters from the Service Module SIM bay. He tethers the 70-pound cassette to his wrist, passes it into the hatch, and repeats the same sequence with the smaller 20-pound mapping camera film canister. Mattingly also performs a biological experiment exposing bacteria to direct sunlight in space for ten minutes. During the experiment, the Commander teases Mattingly, “First time anybody ever laid it on the line for a microbe.” Ken laughs and replies, “I wish you wouldn't put it that way.”
​
Sixty-One. “There’s Nothing Prettier Than Urine Dumps”
(Day 10, Press Conference)
As the crew jokes about breakfast and grits, scientists in Houston are all business as they rework theories on the formation of the highlands. It is now clear their previous volcanic hypothesis was incorrect, and that impacts are the primary cause of lunar features. At 3:20 p.m., CAPCOM Hank Hartsfield begins a televised news conference where the first inquiry is about Young’s “hot mic” episode a few days earlier. Then the questions turn to what the astronauts saw on the lunar surface. Young mentions, “We've seen as much in 10 days as most people see in 10 lifetimes. And we certainly have enjoyed it.” He thanks the team in Mission Control for their help throughout the mission, and reads a quote from the French mathematician and philosopher Rene Descartes: “There's nothing so far removed from us as to be beyond our reach, or so hidden that we cannot discover it.”
​
Sixty-Two. “Are We There Yet, Ken?”
(Day 11, Splashdown)
Director Gerry Griffin and CAPCOM Tony England express their appreciation for the crew’s great work during their last shift of the mission, and wish them well during entry. The last hour is full of checklists and making sure everything is stowed properly. The spacecraft slows down dramatically in the atmosphere; now the issue is landing near their target. Two 16-foot drogue chutes are deployed to slow the craft down to a speed of 260 feet-per-second. A minute later the drogue chutes detach and the three main chutes are deployed. They slow the spacecraft to less than thirty feet-per-second for the final 8,000 feet of its journey. Thirteen and-a-half minutes after hitting the atmosphere, the long journey of Apollo 16 ends with a hard splat.
​
Sixty-Three. “I Never Thought A Group
Of All Males Could Look So Good”
(USS Ticonderoga)
The capsule smacks the water roughly 1500 miles south of Hawaii. Duke, Mattingly, and Young climb into a raft, are lifted into the helicopter by a Billy Pugh net, and are flown to the Ticonderoga. They emerge from the helicopter with broad smiles, saluting and waving from the top step. They are greeted by the Ticonderoga’s skipper, Captain Edward Boyd, who just learned that President Richard Nixon is nominating him for the rank of Rear Admiral. After a brief ceremony, the astronauts receive a phone call from President Nixon who congratulates them on a successful mission and invites them to the White House. The astronauts call their families and enjoy a celebration with Captain Boyd and other officers. After extensive physical examinations, the crew is declared to be in excellent health. They fly to Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, and then on the Ellington Air Force Base in Houston where they are mobbed by family, friends, and co-workers.
​
Sixty-Four. “Most Boys Dream Of Going To The Moon, Charlie Went”
(Address To House Committee On Science And Astronautics, Parades)
On Tuesday, May 16, the crew travels to Washington D.C. where they address the House of Representatives Committee on Science and Astronautics. The next day, Chicago showers the three American spacemen with love, cheers, and ticker tape in an emotional parade through the city streets. NASA announces the backup crew for Apollo 17: John Young, Stu Roosa, and Charlie Duke. Ken Mattingly was originally offered the role as backup Command Module Pilot, but he politely declined in order to spend time with his growing family.
On May 25, Edward Boyd, skipper of the Ticonderoga, undergoes exploratory
surgery after suffering pain in his pancreas. The surgery reveals pancreatic cancer. After battling the disease for three months, Rear Admiral Edward Boyd passes away on his 51st birthday, August 21, 1972. He is buried at sea in the South Pacific at the exact location of the Apollo 16 recovery. The Apollo 16 crewmen go their separate ways to be honored by their hometowns with parades and celebrations: Young in Orlando, Mattingly in Miami, and Duke in Lancaster, SC.
​
Sixty-Five. “My Fingerprints Are Still On That Handle”
(Nationwide Public Relations Tour, Back To Work On Apollo 17)
St. Louis marks the first stop of a grueling nationwide public relations tour for the Apollo 16 astronauts including a stop at the White House. By July 20, John Young and Charlie Duke are back in their space suits, testing the Apollo 17 Lunar Module in the Kennedy Space Center vacuum chamber for over eight hours. Apollo 17 launches from Cape Kennedy at 12:33 a.m. on December 7, 1972. The spectacular midnight launch lights up the sky, and the streaking rocket can be seen by observers over 500 miles away.
​
Sixty-Six. “After The Dust Settled”
(Life After Apollo)
John Young commanded the first Space Shuttle flight which launched on April 12, 1981, the 20th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s historic first manned spaceflight. Columbia returned two days later as Young lands at Edwards Air Force Base. Two-and-a-half years later, Young commanded the ninth Shuttle flight, also aboard Columbia. Young remained the chief of the Astronaut Office until 1987, when he became the Special Assistant for Engineering, Operations, and Safety to Johnson Spacecraft Center’s Director. He retired in 2004, after 42 years in the space agency. John Watts Young passed away in Houston on January 5, 2018, due to complications from pneumonia. He was 87 years old.
Ken Mattingly commanded the fourth and final Space Shuttle test flight in 1982.
Joining him was Hank Hartsfield, the CAPCOM who supported Ken during his solo orbits around the Moon on Apollo 16. Mattingly landed Columbia on the concrete runway at Edwards Air Force Base on July 4, 1982. He and Hartsfield were greeted beside the orbiter by President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan. Mattingly commanded one more shuttle flight in January of 1985, then he retired from NASA. Part of his remaining time in the Navy was spent in Washington D.C. where he renewed his friendship with Bill Tindall. Mattingly retired from the Navy in 1987 with the two-star rank of Rear Admiral. Later he worked with space related programs in companies such as Booz-Hamilton under contract to Grumman, as well as General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin.
Tony England worked with two of his former mentors from MIT developing the
Surface Electrical Properties Experiment (SEP) for Apollo 17. After his work on Apollo, Tony England left NASA to perform research for the U.S. Geological Survey, including expeditions to Antarctica where he continued the use of radar to better understand what was happening below Earth’s surface. A few years later, John Young, chief of the astronaut office, called England and asked, “Why don’t you come back and get your flight?” England returned to NASA in 1979 as a senior astronaut, and flew aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on a very successful mission in 1985. He left NASA again in 1988 and became a professor, teaching at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor as well as their sister campus in Dearborn. He retired in 2021 as Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Charlie Duke remains the youngest man to ever walk on the lunar surface. As the Apollo lunar missions came to an end in 1972, he faced a dilemma: how do you top walking on the Moon? With Shuttle flights still years away, Duke left NASA in 1975, but the business world did not bring the happiness it promised. His wife Dotty was extremely depressed as Charlie kept investing his time and energy on things other than the family. At her lowest point, Dotty became a Christian and the Lord dramatically changed her life. A few years later, Charlie Duke became a Christian as well, and began addressing his shortcomings as a husband and father. God resurrected their marriage and family, changing their lives. Charlie and Dotty now travel the world, not just speaking about space exploration, but also about their faith in Jesus Christ. They humbly share their story, and their lives and message have greatly impacted countless lives, including my own.
​
Epilogue
(Personal Reflections On Charlie Duke’s Experience)
I battled four advanced brain tumors in 2015, drawing strength from words Charlie Duke said years earlier, that walking with the Lord brings more joy than walking on the Moon. Even during the most serious of trials, those words rang true. After a full recovery, I contacted General Duke inviting him to speak to our congregation in Corpus Christi, Texas. For some reason, he accepted. Duke spoke to a Bible study group of military flight students during a dinner before the event, telling stories that I had never heard before. Between his accounts and a list of unanswered questions I had about Apollo 16, it was clear there is a lot more research needing to be done. One by one I contacted major players who are still alive to hear their reflections on his mission and the historic events of the Apollo era.
I also reflect on how someone as successful as Charlie Duke could not find lasting joy on Earth. Duke represents the best of us; if it was possible for a person to find lasting peace and happiness, it would be him. Philosopher Blaise Pascal weighs in: “There was once within us true happiness of which all that now remains is the outline and empty trace. Man tries unsuccessfully to fill this void with everything that surrounds him, seeking in absent things the help he cannot find in those that are present, but all are incapable of it. This infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite, immutable object, that is to say, God Himself.”