Charles Moss Duke, Jr.
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Charles Moss Duke, Jr. (born 3 October 1935), (Brigadier General, USAF, Retired) was a United States astronaut for NASA. He is one of only twelve men who have walked on the moon.
Duke is married to the former Dorothy Meade Claiborne, and has two sons, Charles III born in 1965 and Thomas born in 1967, and five grandchildren. He and his wife reside in New Braunfels, Texas.
Personal data
Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 3, 1935. Married to the former Dorothy Meade Clairborne of Atlanta, Georgia. They have two grown sons. Recreational interests include hunting, fishing, reading, and playing golf. Duke is an Eagle Scout and recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America.Education
Attended Lancaster High School in Lancaster, South Carolina, and graduated valedictorian from the Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1953. Duke received a Bachelor of Science degree in Naval Sciences from the United States Naval Academy in 1957 and a Master's degree in Aeronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964.In 1973 he was presented an honorary doctorate of Philosophy from the University of South Carolina. Duke received an honorary doctorate of Humanities from Francis Marion University in 1990.
Special honors
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- JSC Certificate of Commendation in 1970
- Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with Oak leaf cluster
- Legion of Merit
- Air Force Command Pilot Astronaut Wings
- Society of Experimental Test Pilots' Iven C. Kincheloe Award of 1972
- American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award for 1972
- American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Haley Astronautics Award for 1973
- Fédération Aéronautique Internationale V.M. Komarov Diploma in 1973
- named South Carolina Man of the Year in 1973
- inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame in 1973
- presented the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in 1975.
- Texas Science Hall of Fame in 2000
Organizations
- NASA Advisory Council, At Large Member 1998-2000
- Air Force Association
- Society of Experimental Test Pilots
- Reserve Officer Association
- USNA Alumni Association
- Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship
- Christian Businessmen's Committee
- International Fellowship of Christian Businessmen
- Explorers Club
- National Space Society
- Young Astronaut Council, Former Director
Experience
Duke was commissioned upon graduation from the Naval Academy in 1957. Entering the Air Force, he went to Spence Air Base in Georgia for primary flight training, then to Webb Air Force Base in Texas for basic flying training, where he graduated with distinction in 1958. Duke completed advanced training on the F-86 Sabre aircraft at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, where he is a distinguished graduate. After completion of this training, Duke served three years as a fighter interceptor pilot with the 526th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.He has logged 4,147 hours flying time, which includes 3,632 hours in jet aircraft.
NASA experience
After graduating from the Aerospace Research Pilot School in September 1965, Duke stayed on as an instructor teaching control systems and flying in the F-101 Voodoo, F-104 Starfighter, and T-33 Shooting Star aircraft. In April 1966 he was one of the 19 selected for NASA's fifth group of astronauts.In 1969 Duke was a member of the astronaut support crew for Apollo 10. He then served as capcom for Apollo 11, the first landing on the Moon, where his distinctive southern drawl became familiar to viewers around the world. As capcom, his famous first words to the Apollo 11 crew on the surface of the moon were "Roger Tranquility, we copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue here. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot". Duke was backup lunar module pilot on Apollo 13, however shortly before the mission he caught German measles from a friend's child and inadvertently exposed the prime crew to the disease. As Ken Mattingly had no natural immunity to the disease, Mattingly was then replaced as command module pilot by Jack Swigert.
Duke served as lunar module pilot of Apollo 16 in 1972 where he and John W. Young landed at the Descartes Highlands and conducted three EVAs, making Duke the tenth man to walk upon the surface of the Moon. He also served as backup lunar module pilot for Apollo 17.
He logged 265 hours in space, plus 21 hours and 28 minutes of extra vehicular activity.
Space flight experience
Apollo 16 (April 16 - April 27 1972) was launched from John F. Kennedy Space Center and was the fifth manned lunar landing mission. The crew consisted of John W. Young as spacecraft commander, Ken Mattingly as command module pilot, and Duke as lunar module pilot. Apollo 16 was the first scientific expedition to inspect, survey, and sample materials and surface features in the Descartes region of the rugged lunar highlands. Duke commenced the record setting lunar surface stay of 71 hours and 14 minutes by maneuvering the lunar module Orion to a landing on the rough Cayley Plains. In three subsequent excursions onto the lunar surface, he logged 20 hours and 15 minutes in extravehicular activities involving the emplacement and activation of scientific equipment and experiments, the collection of nearly 213 lb (96 kg) of rock and soil samples, and the evaluation and use of Rover-2 over the roughest and blockiest surface yet encountered on the moon.Other Apollo 16 achievements included the largest payload placed in lunar orbit (76,109 lb or 34,595 kg--but which one?); first cosmic ray detector deployed on the lunar surface; first lunar observatory with the far UV camera; and longest in-flight EVA from a command module during transearth coast (1 hour and 13 minutes). The Apollo 16 mission was concluded with a Pacific Ocean splashdown and subsequent recovery by the USS Ticonderoga.
Post NASA
Duke retired from NASA in December 1975 to enter private business in San Antonio, Texas. That same year he entered the Air Force Reserves where he worked in recruiting. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1979 and in June 1986 retired from the military.Currently he is the president of Charlie Duke Enterprises and owner of Duke Investments. Having become a Christian lay witness, he is also the head of the Duke Ministry For Christ. Duke is an active motivational and inspirational speaker, bringing 40 years of experience as an entrepreneur, business executive, military officer, and astronaut to the speaker's platform.
Duke in the movies
In the 1998 miniseries From the Earth to the Moon Duke was portrayed by J. Downing.Sources and external links
- [Official NASA biography 12/1994]
- Moonwalker by Charlie & Dotty Duke, published by Thomas Nelson Inc, April 1990, ISBN 0840791062
- [Official website of Charlie Duke]
- [Spacefacts biography of Charles Moss Duke, Jr.]
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