Charles Duke

NASA Astronaut

Our guest speaker will be A native of North Carolina, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, with a subsequent Master’s degree from M.I.T., Astronaut Charles Duke was one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in 1966. He served as lunar module pilot of Apollo 16, April 16-27, 1972 and was the 10th of only 12 men to walk on the moon. Apollo 16, which was the fifth manned lunar mission, was the first scientific expedition to inspect, survey and sample materials and surface features in the Descartes region of the rugged lunar highlands. Duke and fellow astronaut, John Young, commenced their lunar surface stay of 71 hours and 14 minutes by maneuvering the lunar module Orion to a landing on the rough Cayley Plains. Duke and Young logged over 20 hours in extra-vehicular activities, involving the emplacement and activation of scientific equipment and experiments, the collection of nearly 213 lbs. of rock and soil samples, and the evaluation and use of Rover 2 over the roughest and blockiest surface yet encountered on the moon. With the completion of the Apollo 16 mission, General Duke had logged 265 hours and 51 minutes in space. He also served as the backup lunar module pilot for the Apollo 13 and Apollo 17 flights. In December 1975, Duke retired from NASA to enter private business in San Antonio. He and his wife, Dorothy, live in New Braunfels, Texas. They have co-authored the book, Moonwalker, and the produced two videos, Moonwalker and Walk on the Moon, Walk with the Son. They have two sons and three grandchildren.