On April 16, 1972, Apollo 16 was successfully launched on its 238,000-mile journey to the moon. This launch marked the start of Apollo 16, the fifth mission to land humans on the Moon.
NASA astronauts John W. Young and Charles M. Duke separated their Lunar Module (LM) Orion from Thomas K. Mattingly, who remained in orbit aboard the Command Module (CM) Casper. For Mattingly, this was a special victory; he had been removed from the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission just days before its launch due to exposure to measles. Now, he was finally getting his chance to see the Moon.
The Apollo 16 crew explored the Descartes region, marking the first time humans visited the lunar highlands. This area sat about 7,400 feet higher than where Apollo 11 landed. By studying this rugged terrain, scientists found that the Moon’s surface changed significantly early in its history. NASA hoped that learning how the Moon’s crust formed and changed would help us better understand the development of Earth’s own continents and oceans.
As the crew prepared to land on April 20, a technical glitch with the Command Module’s engine, Casper, almost forced them to cancel the landing. After six hours of tense waiting and troubleshooting from Mission Control, the team was able to proceed. Young and Duke safely landed their Lunar Module, Orion, while Mattingly stayed in orbit to conduct experiments.
Once on the surface, Young and Duke spent nearly three days exploring. They were equipped with a Lunar Roving Vehicle, which allowed them to travel miles from their home base. During three separate moonwalks totaling over 20 hours, they collected 209 pounds of rock and soil samples. One of these rocks, nicknamed “Big Muley,” was the size of a football and remains the largest single rock ever brought back from the Moon.
The astronauts also set up the very first telescope on another planetary body. This far-ultraviolet camera, designed by Dr. George Carruthers, captured stunning images of Earth’s outermost atmosphere and distant stars invisible to the naked eye.
Image Credit: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
On their fourth day in space, the Apollo 16 crew passed behind the Moon, temporarily losing contact with Mission Control in Houston. During this blackout period, they fired their main engine for over six minutes to pull the spacecraft into lunar orbit. This move made John Young the first person in history to orbit the Moon on two different missions.
When they emerged from the far side, Young famously radioed back, “Hello, Houston. Sweet 16 has arrived!” During that time, the remains of their Saturn V rocket had successfully crashed into the Moon. The impact was so strong that it was picked up by sensors left behind by previous Apollo missions.
One of the heartwarming moments during the mission was when Charles Duke took a moment to leave a personal mark on the Moon. He brought along a family photograph and placed it on the lunar surface so his whole family could be there together. On the back of the photo, he wrote a simple message, “This is the family of astronaut Charlie Duke from planet Earth who landed on the moon on April 20, 1972.”
Duke also left behind a few items to honor his career, including a commemorative medallion for the U.S. Air Force’s 25th anniversary and a piece of cloth representing his pilot training class.
After 71 hours on the lunar surface, Young and Duke rejoined Mattingly in orbit. The crew returned to Earth on April 27, landing safely in the Pacific Ocean.
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