Moonwalker makes it to EPFL
© EPFL 2014 - Volker Gass with Charlie Duke
Charlie Duke is the 10th astronaut out of 12 to have trodden upon the Moon. Recently visiting Switzerland, he stopped over at the Swiss Space Center to share his fantastic experience with the staff.
“It was so exciting, I didn’t want to come back!” Even though it happened 42 years ago, Charlie Duke is still fully up there in mind. Up there, that is… on the Moon! This elegant and enthusiastic 78-year old man is the tenth - out of twelve – to have trodden upon our satellite’s surface. He was recently visiting Switzerland with his wife Dottie. Invited by his friend Claude Nicollier, he came to the Swiss Space Center to talk about his extraordinary adventure.
Charlie Duke took part as a NASA astronaut in the Apollo 16 mission, with Ken Mattingly and John Young. It was launched from Florida on April 16, 1972 for an eleven-day trip into space. “During take-off, we felt very strong vibrations. The rocket was shaking laterally rather than vertically. But each one of us was concentrating on his job, focusing on the idea that it would not be his fault if something went wrong.”
Apollo 16 crew: Ken Mattingly, John Young and Charlie Duke
Arriving to the Moon’s orbit after a three-day journey, the three men were very excited and impressed to see the shadowed part of the satellite. As they prepared for the separation of the lunar module from the main spacecraft, some important technical problems occurred. “We nearly had to give up the hope of a possible landing… can you imagine the disappointment? By chance, six hours later, Houston finally gave the authorization”.
4 cm taller
While Ken Mattingly stayed in the main spacecraft, Charlie Duke and John Young spent 71 hours on the lunar ground and 20 of them outside the module. They made three extravehicular trips, exploring yet unvisited regions, collecting samples and leading various experiences. “We were lucky to have a rover, Charlie describes. It was folded and hooked to the module. The wheels were retractable like those of an airplane. Once stretched out, it was three meters long. We had to be very careful to have enough oxygen as we went exploring, in case of a vehicle breakdown.“
Charlie Duke exploring Plum Crater on the Moon
The former astronaut remembers details like the dust that was sticking to his suit, or the fact that it was more difficult to zip his clothes, because the weaker gravity made him about 1,5 inches (close to 4 cm) taller than he was on Earth. He also removed a mystery by explaining why the American flag seemed to be floating on the Moon despite the lack of wind: ”it was just all creased after having been tightly packed for three days...”
Charlie Duke believes it would make sense to return to the Moon now. “We will certainly go to Mars one day, around 2020 and it would surely be easier to do it from a space station built on our satellite.”
(c) EPFL - Charlie Duke, his wife Dottie, and the Swiss Space Center's staff