Charles Moss Duke Jr. is an American former astronaut, United States Air Force (USAF) officer and test pilot. As Lunar Module pilot of Apollo 16 in 1972, he became the 10th and youngest person to walk on the Moon, at age 36 years and 201 days.
Duke in September 1971
As a U.S. Naval Academy midshipman in 1957
ARPS Class 64-C. Duke is in the back row, third from the left.
Astronaut geology training. Duke (center) talks to geologist David Wones (second left)
Apollo 16 was the tenth crewed mission in the United States Apollo space program, administered by NASA, and the fifth and penultimate to land on the Moon. It was the second of Apollo's "J missions", with an extended stay on the lunar surface, a focus on science, and the use of the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). The landing and exploration were in the Descartes Highlands, a site chosen because some scientists expected it to be an area formed by volcanic action, though this proved not to be the case.
John Young saluting the United States flag while jumping up on the Moon, with the Apollo Lunar Module Orion and Lunar Roving Vehicle in the background
Left to right: Mattingly, Young, DukeApollo program← Apollo 15Apollo 17 →
Apollo 16 space-flown silver Robbins medallion
John Young and Charles Duke training at the Rio Grande Gorge in New Mexico
