Apollo 16

(C) John W. Young Commander
(L) Thomas K. Mattingly Command Module Pilot
(R) Charles M. Duke, Jr. Lunar Module Pilot

Crew Spaceflight Histories:

John W. Young
  Mission Dates Role Notes
  Gemini 3 March 23, 1965 Pilot first to use computer on manned space flight.
  Gemini X July 18-21, 1966 Commander
  Apollo 10 May 18-26, 1969 Command Module Pilot lunar orbit, closest approach
Apollo 16 April 16-27, 1972 Commander lunar landing
STS-1 April 12-14, 1981 Commander maiden flight of Space Shuttle "Columbia"
STS-9 Nov 28 - Dec 8, 1983 Commander first flight of Spacelab
 
Thomas K. Mattingly II
  Mission Dates Role Notes
  Apollo 16 April 16-27, 1972 Command Module Pilot originally on crew of Apollo 13, replaced by Swigert
  STS-4 June 27 - July 4, 1982 Commander "Columbia", final STS research & dev. flight
STS-51C Jan 24-27, 1985 Commander "Discovery" orbiter.
 
Charles M. Duke, Jr.
  Mission Dates Role Notes
  Apollo 16 April 16-27, 1972 Lunar Module Pilot
 

Apollo 16 Backup Crew:

Fred Haise, Jr. commander
Stuart A. Roosa command module pilot
Edgar D. Mitchell lunar module pilot
The successful Apollo 16 manned lunar landing mission was the second in a series of three science-oriented J series missions planned for the Apollo program. The major objective of the mission was to investigate the lunar surface in the Descartes highlands area because it was considered to be representative of much of the Moon's surface, and an area of this type had not been previously visited.

Apollo 16 launchThe Apollo 16 space vehicle was launched from the Kennedy Space Center (Launch Complex 39A) at 12:55:00 p.m. EST on April 16, 1972. The crew members for this mission were John W. Young, Commander, Thomas K. Mattingly II, Command Module Pilot, and Charles M. Duke, Jr., Lunar Module Pilot.

The lunar module (LM) landed approximately 276 meters northwest of the planned landing site at about 104.5 hours ground elapsed time (GET). About 100 seconds of hover time remained at touchdown.

Lunar Roving VehicleThe first extravehicular activity (EVA) was initiated at 119 GET. Television coverage of surface activity was delayed until the lunar roving vehicle (LRV) systems were activated because the steerable antenna on the LM could not be used. A major part of the first EVA was devoted to establishing the nuclear powered, automatic scientific station called Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package (ALSEP). The duration of the first EVA was approximately 7 hours 11 minutes and a distance of 4.2 kilometers was traveled.

The second and third EVA's were devoted primarily to geological exploration and sample gathering in selected areas in the vicinity of the landing site. On the second EVA, the astronauts traveled south-southeast to a sampling area near Cinco Crater on Stone Mountain. The crew also made stops near Stubby and Wreck Craters, The duration of the second EVA was approximately 7 hours 23 minutes and a distance of 11.1 kilometers traveled.

Surface, astronaut & flagThe third and final EVA was to North Ray Crater and "House Rock", on the rim of North Ray Crater. The LRV traverse was 11.4 kilometers and lasted approximately 5 hours 40 minutes.

Total lunar surface activities lasted 20 hours 14 minutes and 95 kilograms of samples were collected. These rocks represented samples of the ancient lunar highlands. The total distance traveled in the LRV was 26.7 kilometers and the crew remained on the lunar surface 71 hours.

Apollo 16 approaches splashdownEntry and landing were normal. The command module was viewed on television while on the drogue parachutes and continuous coverage was provided through crew recovery. Total time for the Apollo 16 mission was 265 hours, 51 minutes and 5 seconds

 

Launch: April 16, 1972 17:54:00 UT (12:54:00 p.m. EST) Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A
Lunar Module: Orion
Command and Service Module:

Casper
Landing Site: Descartes  (8° 59' 29'' S, 15° 30' 52'' E)
Landed on Moon: April 21, 1972 02:23:35 UT (April 20 9:23:35 p.m. EST)
EVA duration: total 20 hr. 14 min. [3 EVAs]
Lunar Surface Traversed: 27 kilometers
Moon Rocks Collected: 95.8 kilograms
LM Departed Moon: April 24, 1972 01:25:48 UT (April 23 8:25:48 p.m. EST)
Time on Lunar Surface: 71 hr. 2 min.
Returned to Earth: April 27, 1972 splashdown 19:45:05 UT (2:45:05 p.m. EST)
Mission Duration: 265 hr. 51 min. 5 sec.
Retrieval site: Pacific Ocean 0° 43' S, 156° 13' W
Retrieval ship: U.S.S. Ticonderoga
Highlights/Notes:
  • Second mission with a lunar roving vehicle (LRV) that could transport two astronauts. The LRV could also carry tools, scientific equipment, communications gear, and lunar samples.
  • First uses of the Moon as an astronomical observatory.
  • Thomas K. Mattingly performed 2 cislunar EVAs totalling 1 hr. 24 min.
  • After LM separation from CSM, LM tumbled and planned lunar impact was not attempted. LM remained in orbit w/estimated lifetime of 1 year, impact site unknown.

 

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